Sarz-Panteran War

Introduction

The origins of the brief, but fierce Sarz-Panteran War could be found in Operation Hellfire, which Sarzonian textbooks refer to as the Gholgoth Wars. The war between the Gholgoth Powers, namely Automagfreek, Pantera and Aequatio and the Allied Powers, made up of Praetonia, Hogsweat and Sarzonia resulted in two nations that both considered themselves forces of freedom battling each other. At the onset of the dispute surrounding the Cariya Islands, a chain claimed as the sovereign territory of Hogsweat, Sarzonia sent three fleets to the Gholgoth region as a show of support to its Praetonian allies. The move enraged Pantera, allied to Automagfreek through a Blood Oath, and Pantera struck a blow to force Sarzonia to withdraw its forces from Gholgoth. To accomplish this, the Panterans returned to an almost-forgotten scene of battle in Sarzonia's history: The Branwyn colony. An interdiction force of 200 warships and an unknown number of Reavers set off for the colonial capital of Daltrey, demanding the colony surrender and announcing that negotiation was "not an option."

The Panterans' objective in the war was simple: To force the Sarzonians to withdraw their forces from Gholgoth and to incite the freedom forces in Branwyn, reduced now to random terrorist attacks led on by the Restore Sarzonia Task Force, to rise up and rebel against the Sarzonian government, painting the Sarzonians as oppressive imperialists. However, the Sarzonians quickly moved to quell the Panteran inroads into the battle for the hearts and minds of the Branwynians, describing the onset of hostilities as an imperialist land grab and asserted the Panteran aim was to subjugate the Branwynians and claim the colony for themselves. The Lord Reaver was counting on disunity between the colony's citizens and the Sarzonians, along with the uncertain nature of militias and a Sarzonian army considered a worldwide laughingstock to unravel a resistance that was already expected to be token opposition.

Sarzonian surprise

With three fleets in Gholgoth, the Sarzonians expected an attack on their home waters and began preparations to defend their coastline against a Freek attack. However, only a Carrier Action Group totalling 35 ships with a Brandywine-class command dreadnought stood in the way of the Panteran fleets. A total of two brigades of Sarzonian regular army troops and a division of Branwynian colonial militia also opposed the storied Reavers. Needless to say, the Branwynians and a Sarzonian army that was humiliated in the Inkana Civil War were hardly expected to challenge the Panteran invasion. However, the combined defences of Branwynian colonials and Sarzonian regulars put up much stiffer resistance than the Reavers counted on. The landing party came under withering fire from the Sarzonian squadron, SZ-1 Vulture strike fighters, and a combined assault of infantry and armoured combat units on the ground. The Sarzonian-led resistance resulted in several damaged enemy warships and significant losses among the landing party.

Operation Hangman

The resistance on the part of the colonists and Sarzonian regulars bought remaining units time to arrange a defensive position outside the colonial city of Bonham. Using nearby woods to camouflage their forces, the army lined up its Z-33 Jaguar main battle tanks and artillery units to serve as the tip of a spear and set up snipers in buildings and close to the woodline to attack the Reavers upon their expected advance. While the action was raging in Daltrey, the Defence Department ordered a division under Lieutenant General Ryan Kennedy to land at St. Christine's, which was unopposed by Panteran forces and reinforce the limited army assets. While there, Kennedy and aide-de-campe Colonel David Whitney conceived Operation Hangman, which would require the army to advance to Bonham to attack the Panterans from the rear whilst the armoured units and snipers occupied the Reavers from the front. The action, much like tying a noose around the neck of a hanging victim, drew the name Operation Hangman from Whitney, the officer who drew the strategy up.

An abrupt end

However, the Sarzonians never got the opportunity to test their strategic trump card. In an attempt to seize the initiative from the Panterans and secure the support of the freedom fighters against the Panterans, President Mike Sarzo announced the Declaration of Sovereignty, granting the areas under Sarzonian control immediate independence from Sarzonia, giving an annual $1 trillion grant to the Branwynian republic's new government, and granting a full executive pardon to freedom fighters for any offences against the Sarzonian government until that point. However, the Lord Reaver saw this move as meeting the objective he claimed he sought: Branwynian independence. He offered a cease fire and the opportunity to negotiate a treaty with the Sarzonian President. In a move that surprised nearly everyone in both countries, Sarzo agreed to attend the peace talks at the Seastone Palace in the Panteran capital, Toke. When Sarzo and First Partner Jay Tyler arrived, the Lord Reaver and the Queen Reaver sat down to begin negotiations, though the session started with verbal chest pounding on the part of the Lord Reaver. Sarzo returned the insult with a flash of subtle defiance, but the two sides moved quickly to negotiate a treaty that recognised the independence of Branwyn, secured the withdrawal of Sarzonia from Gholgoth, limited both nations' involvement to logistical support and defence of allies, and dramatic increases in gay rights in Pantera. The latter plank was not originally on the table when hostilities began and analysts speculated the move was an olive branch to a Sarzonian government that otherwise would have harboured resentment against Pantera.

Effects of the war

If the war can be defined as which nation met its objectives, Pantera met its stated and unstated objectives: 1) to secure the independence of Branwyn and 2) to force Sarzonia out of Operation Hellfire. But some world historians have a much different view of the war, with several likening Pantera's call for a cease fire and peace negotiations with conceding defeat to Sarzonia. While the Incorporated Sarzonian Navy didn't have the results it normally achieved against other naval foes, the Incorporated Sarzonian Army did much to repair its worldwide reputation. While the effects on Panteran morale or reputation for military power have not been determined, the effect the war had on the Sarzonian military and national morale has been likened to the effects of the War of 1812 on the United States. Namely, an increase in national pride, growing confidence in the nation's ability to stand up for what it believes in, and increased respect worldwide for standing up to a world megapower and delivering blows as fiercely as they were expected to receive them.