Malacca War

Background

To say that the Federal Republic of Bonstock was not the most popular nation in Asia would have been and understatement. Its international standing was not helped by a series of military slip-ups, the most grevious of which took place during the Marimaian-lead invasion of Myanmar.

Acting as part of the multi-national occupation forces, the Bonstockian Army was charged with helping to subdue anti-occupation rebels, many loyal to the old military regime but others simply opposed to the foreign presence in what used to be a soveriegn nation. While Marimaia, Hudecia, East Islandia, United Elias (through Brunei), Hindustan, and Spyr chose to concentrate on a 'hearts and minds' campaign with a more restrained combat aspect, the Bonstockian methods were drastically different. After taking losses to rebels in several incidents, FRB forces lost all inhibitions and committed a number of atrocities against the civilian population. In addition to the general apathy shown by FRB forces for noncombatants, on a number of occasions civilians were specifically targeted.

The final, and most brutal, of all these atrocities was when Bonstockian Army and Air Force units virtually leveled the city of Mergui with artillery and heavy bombs, and then looted the remains before withdrawing from the country. International anger over this particular incident was substantial, and what happened next was extremely poorly-timed by the FRB.

The Spark

As if to throw salt on the wound, the Federal Republic Of Bonstock announced that it was going to levy a tax on all foreign shipping that made use of the commercially vital Strait of Malacca.

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The first nation to take action against Bonstock's taxing of the straits was Chuang-Han China.

Chuang-Han's communique to the Bonstockian government read as follows:

"The Government of Chuang-Han will seize all international assets of Bonstock within it's borders (Including, but not limited to: Civilian Ship, Airliners, Bonstocknian National's property, Bonstocknian based corporation's property) if Bonstock does not agree to lift this unlawful Tariff for Chuang-Han Cargo. Seizure proceedings will be carried out immediately upon reply from Bonstock."

Despite mounting international dissatisfaction with the Malacca tariffs, Bonstock continued to maintain that the Straits were its soveriegn waters and it had a right to do what it liked with them. The first nation to threaten military action was Hudecia, and soon after followed highly militaristic Sino with a vendetta against Bonstock. Initially diplomatic methods were favored by some, but Bonstockian persistence and rising anger over the Mergui massacre lead to declarations of war.

Before long a coalition including Spyr, Marimaia, Hudecia, Hindustan, and to a lesser extent Chuang-Han China, had assembled combat forces and prepared plans for the conduct of war against the Federal Republic of Bonstock.

The War

Sakishima Front

Some of the most brutal fighting in the Malacca War took place in the Sakishima Islands, a Bonstockian possession off Japan. A Huedcian carrier battlegroup arrived off the Sakishimas soon after the declarations of war, ready to invade the islands.

Initially, the Sakishima operation went badly for the Hudecians. One might credit the Hudecian failure to pre-emptively destroy Bonstockian airstrips there, since many of the Gripens used to attack the Hudecian fleet came from there, but Bonstockian reinforcement probably had the biggest effect. 15,000 paratroops were dispatched to the island soon after the invasion, reinforcing an already quite powerful FRB garrison, and before long the Hudecians were forced back into a small enclave on Miyako Jima.

One carrier battlegroup was badly damaged and retreated to Korea, and the Hudecian forces were just able to hang on in the face of constant Bonstockian reinforcements coming from the Maropian Coast.

However, while the Hudecians were struggling in the Sakishimas, a sizeable Hindustani naval and ground force was deployed to Spyr. After making the necessary preparations, a combined Hindustani-Spyrian battlegroup, escorting a large invasion force, sailed for the islands.

Hindustani Buccaneers operating from Spyr, as well as East Islandian submarines, made numerous raids on the Sakishimas, delivering hundreds of cruise missiles and crippling much of the FRB's airbase infrastructure, Early Warning radars, and ammunition dumps. These raids severely weakened the Bonstockian forces in the Sakishimas, and to make matters worse for the defenders the Spyrian-Hindustani battlegroup arrived with significant ground reinforcements. Hindustani troops were landed and managed to stabilize the beachhead, even expand it measurably.

There was also quite brutal fighting at sea, when a Bonstockian surface warfare group including aircraft carriers and battleships entered the area. The battle that ensued was simply massive, with anti-ship missiles and shells being flung everywhere. An equally large air battle took place as well, involving well over five hundred aircraft including Bonstockian F-35s and JAS-39s, Spyrian and Hudecian carrier aircraft, and Hindustani Buccaneers operating at long range from their bases in Spyr. While both sides took grevious losses, the sheer weight of allied firepower in the form of massed anti-ship missile strikes eventually overwhelmed the Bonstockian naval task force.

By the end of it, the Bonstockian battleships were either sunk or scuttled and the Bonstockian planes had been driven off. There were more than 40,000 Hudecian and Hindustani troops on the beachhead compared to a rapidly decreasing 36,000 Bonstockians, devoid of air and sea support. The Bonstockian counter-attack failed without achieving much, besides delpeting the already strained defenders. A breakthrough attack shattered Bonstockian lines and the battle seemed won.

Ironically, by this time the Bonstockian government had cancelled the tax on sea traffic through the Strait Of Malacca.

The Malay Campaign

Marimaia also played a vital part in the Malacca War. After Bonstock launched tactical ballistic missiles at Marimaian Thailand, Chiisu Sunn and the Marimaian military was fully committed and well-placed to seriously hurt Bonstock. With the support of several hundred Su-27 fighter-bombers and Hind gunships, the Bonstockian border was breached by a large Marimaian attack force.

Back-and-fourth bombings of respective major cities and capitols continued as a near-continuous dogfight took place above the embattled armies. Thanks to Bonstockian A-10 support, the Marimaian advance was temporarily stopped, but by no means beaten. Simply massive air groups struck targets across Bonstockian Malaya and engaged the FRB's airforce. A considerable Marimaian naval contingent provided support for the ground invasion as well.

After a considerable delay, Beth Gellert also decided to join the war on the side of Marimaia. It deployed a large naval and ground contingent to Myanmar in preparation for another push on Bonstockian Malaya. Several battalions of Hindustani infantry, left over from the Myanmar operations, also prepared to join the Marimaian assault.

The Maropian Coast

The fighting that took place in the Maropian Coast, Bonstock's section of Formosa (Taiwan), was rather one-sided. Depleted from the fighting in the Sakishimas, mass desertion, and heavy Taiwanese air raids, the Bonstockian defenders were overwhelmed by the simply crushing numbers of Chinese troops. The Chinese invasion force was characteristically ruthless and proffessional, taking no prisoners in the process of decisively destroying the Bonstockians in the Maropian Coast.

It was during the Maropian Coast assault that Lord Harald himself was killed, along with three hundred loyal troops. This essentially decapitated the Bonstockian government and had a considerable effect on the events that would take place elsewhere.

The Maropian Coast was absorbed into Taiwan after a brutal military governance by Chinese forces in which Bonstockians themselves had little hope of survival. Some Maropians kept up a short campaign against the Chinese occupation forces, demanding independence and self-determination, but without success.

Bonstock Collapses

After the death of Lord Harald, the loss of the Maropian Coast, and the impending defeat of Bonstockian Army on the Sakishimas, many commanders resorted to desperate measures. On the Sakishimas, for instance, the Bonstockians fired nuclear artillery shells into the allied beachhead, causing widespread destruction and removing any inclination on the part of the Hudecians and Hindustanis to take prisoners among the Bonstockian garrison.

Soon afterword, the Bonstockian Army mutinied on every front. In Malaya, allied forces advanced rapidly to the Johor Strait, the very gates of Singapore itself, and civil order in that city is hardly certain. At first, Parliament leader Chang Zhou declares a cease-fire and promises reparation for Mergui, but he is overthrown by General Assad bin Abdullah, who declares martial law. General Abdullah is himself assassinated and the cease-fire declared again.

By the end of it, Singapore was the only Bonstock-administered territory in Asia. Indonesia and Malaya were partitioned and occupied by the various allied powers until proper governments could be established.

Aftermath

With the collapse of Bonstock, Asia was rid of what probably amounted to its principal imperialist threat for good. Although Singapore would eventually attempt an ultimately ill-fated attack on Malaya, aimed at re-establishing some portion of their old hegemony, Bonstock was finished as a major power.

Links for Reference

[2]

Malacca War thread

[3]

Invasion of Myanmar

[4]

A bit describing the aftermath of the whole affair