The First Oil War

When the first commercial oil well was constructed in the USA sometime around 1850, the smell of oil drifted into Guffingford like the smell of fresh horse manure. But this was the smell of earning a quick buck, and everywhere around the country people began to dig frantically for oil wells. Since Guffingford is a dry and barren country during the cold seasons having a very cost efficient and very volative fuel is a warming thought.

However, this was not to endure. The amount of oil in the central highlands - as well as the lowlands of Guffingford wasn't much, even for those days. We're around 1860 now and the oil consumption of Guffingford was already outgrowing supply. You can imagine how little of that black stuff was available. The heating turned cold and the industrial fires weren't burning as bright. One by one furnaces were suffocating and coal mines were reopened.

Then good news reached the city of Zalmebaai, where a German exploration ship the Ost Pommeren returned from a successful mission: to discover new oil supplies. Because the Germans discovered these massive fields in the already known but ill explored jungle nation of Theohuanacu Germany received exclusive rights to start pumping up oil over there. This right was granted by the Colonial Society of Guffingford, a predecessor to the Colonial Consortium of Guffingford.

Britain, France and Knootoss complained about this whole affair, stating that this deal was signed because of bribery and "under the table bargaining". Eventually the Colonial Society of Guffingford gave in, and gave out several minor concessions in Theohuanacu. The Knootians were allowed to maintain and lay the railroad networks, the French took 15% of the oil revenues, the British also 15% and the Knootians received 5%, but were allowed to remain 85% of the profits made from the railroads.

So far, so good. Tensions were erupting, when Britain and France claimed that they wanted to search for their own oil and keep 15% of it, instead of getting their share of the oil. Mostly their oil was of poor quality, full of muck and filth. Before it was usable, it had to be cleaned extensively and that was rather costly. The Germans didn't feel like giving up their oil fields and began to rally many of the natives to protect their interests. For this a lot of gold was required since the natives didn't want payment in paper. This caused The 2nd Gold Rush.

Britain and France were also angered by the ridiculous fees the Knootians began to ask for railroad usage. While ordinary citizens from Theohuanacu were allowed to travel for a reduced fee, the Knootians for the regular fee the British and French had to pay around 250% more. Combined with their anger over the German stubborn policy concerning the oilfields, they were going to fight to reclaim their share.

The British initiated the political and military battle in 1868 and the French began to raid in Knootian railroad stations and German supply depots. The first few months - and the first stages of the war - went quite sucessful for the combined forces of Britain and France until their luck began to ran out. Just in time, Germany received the loads of gold shipped from Zalmebaai and was able to pay the natives. From there, everything went downhill for the French-British coalition. The biggest battlefields happened during the 2nd and 3rd year of the war, but ended after five years of fighting in 1873.