War of 1919 (Pacifica)

War of 1919
(From top to bottom) Weissersteiner forces in the city of Williemsbode; Gunter-Stein Panzerwagen in the Luxemburg Front; General Šbécke with the 2nd Corps
Date 29 June 1919 - 4 August 1923 Location Luxemburg, Weisserstein Clashonia Result Treaty of Fryéndon (1922) Treaty of Bérnberg (1923)
Belligerents
Weisserstein Royal Clashonian government-in-exile	Union State of Bannarsia and Transclarvia	First Clashonian Republic
Commanders and leaders
Friedrich Eugen von Wittelsbach Wilhelm-Alexander von Schwarzberg Gothäart Brént	Klemens Šbécke	Gustaf Sténmann Kristof Šober
Units involved
Imperial Weissersteiner Army 5th Army 7th Army 25th Army 27th Army Imperial Weissersteiner Navy 1st Fleet Royal Clashonian Army 1st Corps Royal Volunteer Legion Aligned militias Volunteer Army of the Just King Traditionalist Communion Mountain Brotherhood	Army of the Union State 1st Corps 2nd Corps 3rd Mountain Corps 4th Corps 7th Corps Kleinhart Jura Corps Luxemburg Corps Northwestern Corps National Guard of the Union State Black Camp Navy of the Union State Transclarve Flotilla Eastern Flotilla	Clashonian Volunteer Republican Army Republican Guard
Strength
758,000 52,000	1,684,800	938,000

The War of 1919 (Alman: Krieg von 1919, Clashonian: Krig vén 1919) was an armed conflict between the Weissersteiner Empire and the Union State of Bannarsia and Transclarvia, which lasted from 1919 to 1923. The war started over territorial dispute, namely the territories of Blubach and Bischofgen, both of which had a zinc spar mine. The war brought the end to the existence of the Union State and saw the rise of the First Clashonian Republic.

Following the 1904 Clashonian coup d'etat, the Clashonian royal family, government, and military high command fled to neighboring Weisserstein, establishing the Royal Clashonian government-in-exile. Amidst the chaos of the coup, Weissersteiner forces move to secure the territories of Blubach and Bischofgen. Both territories were previously established as a condominium, but after the coup, the Weissersteiner government decided to incorporate the two territories into the Weissersteiner Empire. At the time, the Union State was unable to do anything due to their own precarious position, and the Union State was forced to recognize the annexation of the territories during discussions regarding the territories in mid-February of 1907, now known as the Brandenburg Agreement. This move angered many within the ranks of the Party of the Union State, namely its more hawkish members under the leadership of X, as well as angering many within the military, who saw both Blubach and Bischofgen as rightful Clashonian clay. The Brandenburg Agreement also gave rise to hopes of possible Transclarve secession, which culminated in the 1907 Transclarve uprising in May. The events of 1907 became a key turning point as more hawkish members of government began taking a more active role in both the military and governance, leading to X becoming the President-Minister of the Union State in 1908.

As time progressed, the Army of the Union State began drafting preparations to retake the territory since as early as 1910, citing its economic importance to the Union State. Defenses were constructed along the border with Weisserstein, namely in the areas neighboring to the Kingdom of Luxemburg. An incident in the border in 1915 nearly brought the two nations to war, but conflict was averted through diplomacy. However, the border clashes proved vital in escalating tension and sowing distrust among the two nations. The Army of the Union State began mobilizing its forces in late 1918 in preparation for the conflict, Weisserstein in return fortified its defenses in their shared border, known as the Schwarzberg Line. In the early hours of June 29, a false flag attack by Union State forces was conducted, followed by firing artillery shells on Weissersteiner positions, and on 8 AM, the Union State officially declared war on Weisserstein, citing the unjust annexation and the false flag attack on the Kleinhart Jura, as well as Weisserstein's support to the exiled Royal government, as the casus belli.

Background

1904 Clashonian coup d'etat

As Clashonia began slowly democratizing, several radical groups would sprung up, whose goals were to overthrow the monarchy. One of these movements was the powerful Unionists, who sought to establish a "federation of equals" between the North (Bannarsia) and the South (Transclarvia).

In 1904, members of the Party of the Union State, alongside sympathetic members of the military and Unionist militias, would storm the Clashonian Royal Palace and the Landtag building, sending the royal family and the government into exile. The military attempted to quell the coup but was unsuccessful. When the Party of the Union State took over, large portions of royalist sympathizers escaped to neighboring Weisserstein.

Annexation of Blubach and Bischofgen by Weisserstein

As political turmoil engulfed Clashonia, the Weissersteiner Empire sent several infantry units to secure the territories of Neutral Blubach and Bischofgen.

1915 Weissersteiner-Clashonian border clashes

Weissersteiner forces in the Weissersteiner-Clashonian border, 1915

In 1915, the Union State and Weisserstein would fight a brief, undeclared, 4-day conflict over Blubach and Bischofgen, killing 79 and wounding 184 on both sides. The conflict nearly escalated into a full blown war before Weissersteiner foreign minister Ernst Friedrich von Glücksburg and his Clashonian counterpart X successfully defused tensions by signing a peace treaty in the spa town of Bad Salzdeck, ending the hostilities between Weisserstein and the Union State.

Despite the peaceful resolution, both militaries became even more wary of a possible armed conflict between the two nations in the future, and began taking steps in preparing for another conflict over the disputed territories. Weisserstein would set up preliminary defenses in the border between the Kingdom of Luxemburg with the Union State, which would be enforced further following Clashonian mobilization in 1918. This defense line would be codenamed the Schwarzberg Line.

1919

False flag attack and declaration of war

Clashonian "Black Camp" militias

On 27 June 1919, members of the Clashonian Black Camp militia would launch a series of engagements with Union State forces. The next day, Union State officials accused Weisserstein of instigating a conflict between Weisserstein and the Union State before sending an ultimatum, demanding Weisserstein to demilitarize the Weissersteiner-Clashonian border, return Blubach and Bischofgen to the Union State, and to extradite the members of the Royal Clashonian government-in-exile, including all the members of the Clashonian royal family. Weissersteiner Foreign Minister Christian Graf von Hohenzollern did not heed the ultimatum however, which served as casus belli for a declaration of war. Clashonia would sever diplomatic relations with Weisserstein.

On 29 June, Clashonian artillery would begin bombing Weissersteiner lines, and at 08:00 AM, Clashonia officially declared a state of war between the Union State and the Weissersteiner Empire. Members of the Clashonian Black Camp would lead the first engagements during the opening hours of the war, before their numbers were bolstered by the Army of the Union State. Clashonian forces would begin several small-scale incursions into the border regions, namely around the Kleinhart Jura.

Operation Kettle, Luxemburg Front, and intense fighting in the Kleinhart Jura

Clashonian Model 1917 105mm howitzer during the Battle of Freihofen

As fighting in the Kleinhart Jura intensified, Clashonian forces would launch a major offensive, codenamed Betréb Waserkokher (Operation Kettle), attacking the defenses through a newly-formed unit, the Luxemburg Corps, to push the Weissersteiners out of their defensive lines in the Schwarzberg Line. While successfully gaining grounds throughout the early weeks of the operation, the Luxemburg Corps failed to make the significant breakthrough that the Union State had expected. By the third month of the operation, the frontlines ground to a halt as Weissersteiner forces reinforced their defenses. Under the command of General Falko Šnabel, the forces successfully pushed around 68km into Luxemburg, capturing parts of the Schwarzberg Lines. However, due to logistical issues, as well as Weissersteiner forces swiftly responding to the assault, the offensive failed to take any of its strategic goals. Weissersteiner forces would begin pushing back into the Schwarzberg Line, undoing the offensive's gains.

General Falko Šnabel would be badly wounded by a stray artillery shell that exploded near his quarters and command was briefly handed to Major Héike Stark, who quickly ordered a shift of focus to the Kleinhart Jura. Clashonian forces began moving swiftly deeper into the Weissersteiner parts of the Kleinhart Jura. The offensive sought to capture cities around parts of Lowenia, such as Brandenburg. This new offensive saw the formation of a new Kleinhart Jura Corps, whose focus would be entirely dedicated to the push into the areas of Lowenia. The renewed offensive saw better successes compared to the original push into Luxemburg, however the fighting in the Kleinhart Jura remained very fierce, with several major battles between the Kleinhart Jura Corps and Weissersteiner forces, namely in the Weissersteiner city of Brandenburg.

1920

Operation Stahlschlag

Weissersteiner forces advancing with Panzerwagen GS in Bannarsia

Following the buildup of forces in the previous months, Weissersteiner forces would launch Operation Stahlschlag ("Operation Steel Punch"), which aimed to capture vital portions of northern Bannarsia, which would be spearheaded by armored units using the Panzerwagen GS tanks. Key objectives for this offensive included parts of the Transbannarsia Railway, strategic positions in the Kleinhart Jura, as well as the city of Williemsbode.

1921

Operation Kleiner Schbeck

Weissersteiner troops entering Gréswik during Operation Kleiner Schbeck, with the iconic Gréswik castle being in the background

Following Clashonian failure in Operation Burn Back and the Republican rebellion, Weissersteiner forces launched Operation Kleiner Schbeck ("Operation Little Schbeck"). The main goal of this offensive is to exploit the chaos caused by Operaion Burn Back and the rebellion. Weissersteiner troops, spearheaded by cavalry and tanks, and supported by superior artillery, would capture many major cities in Bannarsia, encircling the Union State's Kleinhart Jura Corps. The Reichsheer would eventually reach the outskirts of the Clashonian capital of Käarylsbode by the end of the year, which sparked a massive political crisis within the Union State government.