Escalation - 1962 - 1974 W.E.
"I have a clear conscience: my government has tried all that any country could accept to establish peace, but this situation in which any word given to Shinyen is ignored, is intolerable. Thus I have henceforth signed the declaration of war: our gallant armies shall join Amek in their brave war of defence against imperialism in the field of honour." High King Horbarad of Skelengard announcing the opening of hostilities with Shinyen at Furchard Square, Spring 10 1962.
Despite initial Itharian and Skell estimates that Shinyen had exhausted its warmaking capabilities in the war with Amek, Shogun Shoku Kato of Shinyen had been able to mobilize further resources from the heartland of Héde in record time, drafting 20 banner armies, 2.000.000 strong, in only three weeks. Such a feat of logistics was only possible thanks to the brilliant infrastructure works of Jiang Duo. Surprised by such a swift response, Skell border fortifications in Kafgard were effortlessly overwhelmed. An attempt to stop continuous Shinyeni breakthroughs by the main Skell army resulted in the infamous disaster at Skoldrin river on Spring 83, where more than 200.000 skell soldiers were surrounded and captured.
Efforts by the combined allied fleet at sea did not fare better: severely underestimating the Shinyeni oceanic capabilities, the main allied armada, 400 warships strong, crossed the Huago Canal and sailed through Gongjao, pointing straight at the Shinyeni capital. Unbeknownst to them, however, Shinyen possessed the capabilities to sustain two ocean-going navies, and when the Second Western Fleet met with the allied armada at Cape Xiaogning, on Spring 50, it was a catastrophe for them. Thousands of irreplaceable sailors and officers drowned at sea, while many ships were boarded and added to the Shinyeni navy.
Having eliminated the main allied armada and neutered the well-trained Skell army, now Shinyen concentrated on eliminating Skelengard as a threat. Despite promises of continuous resistance to the invaders, the Skell nation collapsed almost without a fight. Its remaining armies, comprised of trainless draftees were unable to oppose the quickmoving Shinyeni armies that, thanks to the effort of collaborators inside the Skell government itself, now moved inland unimpeded. Thus, by the end of 1962, the vast kingdom of the Skell had been effectively defeated: from now onwards the countless water mills and endless sprawls of grain fields of Skelengard would feed the Shinyeni war machine. The Skell United Directorate, a collaboration government based around the city Verlaw, and possessing only a semblance of independence, was set up by the Shogun to administer the newly conquered territories. It was only thanks to a few last-ditch efforts by Skell loyalists that the powerful remnants of the Skell armada were scuttled at port and did not fall into enemy hands, while the royal treasury was transported to safety in Itharia.
With its only ally defeated and Shinyen more powerful than ever, the Itharian high command decided that the only way to win the war was through a single decisive engagement at sea, that would grant the alliance naval supremacy. Thus the idea of Batalha Fatal, the doctrine of "Fatal Battle" was born. Despite this, at the following engagement at Heriador Island, on Summer 27 1964, the Itharian navy suffered another disgracious defeat due to the inflexible and uncompromising admiral staff. Having suffered defeat on all fronts, Itharian emperor Honorius III now tried to work on a separate peace with Shinyen in order to leave the war on favourable terms. Initial negotiations with Shoku were successful, and a preliminary truce was signed in 1965, to the great displeasure of Janpur and the Skell government in exile. However, by the end of the year, talks regarding war reparations clauses fell through and hostilities began anew.
Shinyen began preparations for a massive invasion force, with which they planned to bring the war to the shores of Itharia and end the conflict once and for all. More than 700 warships were constructed, and the grand armada began sailing towards Itharia in late spring 1966. However not all was lost, as the resurgent Ameki forces, now reorganized into His Majesty's People's Army continuously eroded Shinyeni military power through constant harassing action in what was unofficially called "Shoku's Ulcer", while in the hinterlands of Skelengard the defeated, yet not beaten, remnants of the Skell army reorganized to fight the invaders. Knowing that the following naval battle would decide the fate of the war, Emperor Honorius III personally oversaw a vast naval rearmament program, which saw the Itharian shipmaking industry construct more than 300 warships in only two months. A miraculous advance in steam power, the steam battery, invented in that same year by a brilliant team of Itharian and Skell scientists allowed Itharia to build new weapons that were unmatched in power. When the vast Shinyeni armada, mostly made of ironclad deckers and galleys, met the new Itharian armada off the coast of Angelouse island on Summer 89 1966, Shinyen suffered the first decisive defeat of the war. Superior positioning, a newly trained officer corps and the experimental battleship NMC Vitorio all granted advantages that the Shinyeni navy could not overcome. With initiative having slipped out of their hands, Shinyen was now forced to defend its vast conquests with an overstretched army, a weary population and a struggling economy.
1966 and 67 saw little fighting, except for the Ameki guerrilla warfare, as both sides regained their strength to continue the conflict in earnest. Shinyen built thousands of fortifications complexes in its territory, drafted more troops and produced more ships for its navy. Itharia in the meantime saw a vast heavy industry program with no precedent in history, and by the end of 1967 it possessed more than 200 battleships and many more deckers and galleys. Being confident in their newfound superiority Itharia passed on the offensive, and 1968 and 69 saw renewed open warfare between Itharia and Shinyen. Itharian attacks, which concentrated on liberating Skell territory, had great success as the power of the Steam Battery was no match for traditional warfare. 1970 saw continued Shinyeni defeats, and their fleet suffered an irrecoverable blow at the battle of Bylfled Gulf where it was virtually annihilated. When by 1971 the Itharians had reached the limits of their logistics, they had liberated all of eastern Skelengard. With all of the Shogun's attention devoted to the south, these years saw an increase in Ameki resistance activities, and vast swathes of the countryside in Amek were liberated from Shinyeni occupation.
Believing a final victory to be all but assured, the leaders of the three allied powers reunited at Jiikart, in liberated Amek, to discuss the creation of an official military alliance that would ensure peace in the post-war world. The United Front was thus formed, and it maintained that all of its members, which also included Rajistan, would fight to the end to defeat Shinyeni imperialism. However, the recent victories had rendered the Itharian high command overconfident in their technological superiority: when in 1972 they attempted to land an army directly in the heart of Héde, they faced strong opposition which, after more than two years of siege, they could not dislodge. By 1974 it was clear that Shinyen had been able to tighten its defensive perimeter, and the once assured total victory looked more and more like a simple fantasy.
Despite initial Itharian and Skell estimates that Shinyen had exhausted its warmaking capabilities in the war with Amek, Shogun Shoku Kato of Shinyen had been able to mobilize further resources from the heartland of Héde in record time, drafting 20 banner armies, 2.000.000 strong, in only three weeks. Such a feat of logistics was only possible thanks to the brilliant infrastructure works of Jiang Duo. Surprised by such a swift response, Skell border fortifications in Kafgard were effortlessly overwhelmed. An attempt to stop continuous Shinyeni breakthroughs by the main Skell army resulted in the infamous disaster at Skoldrin river on Spring 83, where more than 200.000 skell soldiers were surrounded and captured.
Efforts by the combined allied fleet at sea did not fare better: severely underestimating the Shinyeni oceanic capabilities, the main allied armada, 400 warships strong, crossed the Huago Canal and sailed through Gongjao, pointing straight at the Shinyeni capital. Unbeknownst to them, however, Shinyen possessed the capabilities to sustain two ocean-going navies, and when the Second Western Fleet met with the allied armada at Cape Xiaogning, on Spring 50, it was a catastrophe for them. Thousands of irreplaceable sailors and officers drowned at sea, while many ships were boarded and added to the Shinyeni navy.
Having eliminated the main allied armada and neutered the well-trained Skell army, now Shinyen concentrated on eliminating Skelengard as a threat. Despite promises of continuous resistance to the invaders, the Skell nation collapsed almost without a fight. Its remaining armies, comprised of trainless draftees were unable to oppose the quickmoving Shinyeni armies that, thanks to the effort of collaborators inside the Skell government itself, now moved inland unimpeded. Thus, by the end of 1962, the vast kingdom of the Skell had been effectively defeated: from now onwards the countless water mills and endless sprawls of grain fields of Skelengard would feed the Shinyeni war machine. The Skell United Directorate, a collaboration government based around the city Verlaw, and possessing only a semblance of independence, was set up by the Shogun to administer the newly conquered territories. It was only thanks to a few last-ditch efforts by Skell loyalists that the powerful remnants of the Skell armada were scuttled at port and did not fall into enemy hands, while the royal treasury was transported to safety in Itharia.
With its only ally defeated and Shinyen more powerful than ever, the Itharian high command decided that the only way to win the war was through a single decisive engagement at sea, that would grant the alliance naval supremacy. Thus the idea of Batalha Fatal, the doctrine of "Fatal Battle" was born. Despite this, at the following engagement at Heriador Island, on Summer 27 1964, the Itharian navy suffered another disgracious defeat due to the inflexible and uncompromising admiral staff. Having suffered defeat on all fronts, Itharian emperor Honorius III now tried to work on a separate peace with Shinyen in order to leave the war on favourable terms. Initial negotiations with Shoku were successful, and a preliminary truce was signed in 1965, to the great displeasure of Janpur and the Skell government in exile. However, by the end of the year, talks regarding war reparations clauses fell through and hostilities began anew.
Shinyen began preparations for a massive invasion force, with which they planned to bring the war to the shores of Itharia and end the conflict once and for all. More than 700 warships were constructed, and the grand armada began sailing towards Itharia in late spring 1966. However not all was lost, as the resurgent Ameki forces, now reorganized into His Majesty's People's Army continuously eroded Shinyeni military power through constant harassing action in what was unofficially called "Shoku's Ulcer", while in the hinterlands of Skelengard the defeated, yet not beaten, remnants of the Skell army reorganized to fight the invaders. Knowing that the following naval battle would decide the fate of the war, Emperor Honorius III personally oversaw a vast naval rearmament program, which saw the Itharian shipmaking industry construct more than 300 warships in only two months. A miraculous advance in steam power, the steam battery, invented in that same year by a brilliant team of Itharian and Skell scientists allowed Itharia to build new weapons that were unmatched in power. When the vast Shinyeni armada, mostly made of ironclad deckers and galleys, met the new Itharian armada off the coast of Angelouse island on Summer 89 1966, Shinyen suffered the first decisive defeat of the war. Superior positioning, a newly trained officer corps and the experimental battleship NMC Vitorio all granted advantages that the Shinyeni navy could not overcome. With initiative having slipped out of their hands, Shinyen was now forced to defend its vast conquests with an overstretched army, a weary population and a struggling economy.
1966 and 67 saw little fighting, except for the Ameki guerrilla warfare, as both sides regained their strength to continue the conflict in earnest. Shinyen built thousands of fortifications complexes in its territory, drafted more troops and produced more ships for its navy. Itharia in the meantime saw a vast heavy industry program with no precedent in history, and by the end of 1967 it possessed more than 200 battleships and many more deckers and galleys. Being confident in their newfound superiority Itharia passed on the offensive, and 1968 and 69 saw renewed open warfare between Itharia and Shinyen. Itharian attacks, which concentrated on liberating Skell territory, had great success as the power of the Steam Battery was no match for traditional warfare. 1970 saw continued Shinyeni defeats, and their fleet suffered an irrecoverable blow at the battle of Bylfled Gulf where it was virtually annihilated. When by 1971 the Itharians had reached the limits of their logistics, they had liberated all of eastern Skelengard. With all of the Shogun's attention devoted to the south, these years saw an increase in Ameki resistance activities, and vast swathes of the countryside in Amek were liberated from Shinyeni occupation.
Believing a final victory to be all but assured, the leaders of the three allied powers reunited at Jiikart, in liberated Amek, to discuss the creation of an official military alliance that would ensure peace in the post-war world. The United Front was thus formed, and it maintained that all of its members, which also included Rajistan, would fight to the end to defeat Shinyeni imperialism. However, the recent victories had rendered the Itharian high command overconfident in their technological superiority: when in 1972 they attempted to land an army directly in the heart of Héde, they faced strong opposition which, after more than two years of siege, they could not dislodge. By 1974 it was clear that Shinyen had been able to tighten its defensive perimeter, and the once assured total victory looked more and more like a simple fantasy.
Conflict Type
War, Theatre
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