Ospela-Cabrikk War

The Ospela-Cabrikk War took place during 1969. It lasted for a few months following the Assassination of King Duno IV (aka Emperor Duno I) on the 18th February 1969. Parliament did not have much power following the imperial reforms and the ensuing succession crisis caused ethnic tensions within the empire. The war ended on the 22nd June 1969 with an Ospean victory. The Ospean Republic was established soon after, although the policies of the new government led to large amounts of inactivity.

## Militaries

### **Cabrikk Empire (King Noda)**

Under King Duno IV: 50 divisions

Phase 1: 25 divisions

Phase 2: 5 divisions

Phase 3: Incorporated into the Ospean army

### **Cabrikk Imperium (Altre)**

Phase 1: 20 divisions

Phase 2: 20 divisions (5 of these were from deserting loyalists)

Phase 3: 12 divisions (massive desertion at Battle of Ospela)

### **Ospean Republic**

Under King Duno IV: 5 divisions (Ospean divisions within the Cabrikk Army)

Phase 1: The 5 Ospean divisions refused to take a side in the war. Both sides were too preoccupied to deal with the Ospeans.

Phase 2: 20 divisions (including the 5 pre-existing Ospean divisions) raised from the Ospean population. Relatively inexperienced however determination and good leadership (+ reliable weapons) made the divisions quite effective.

Phase 3: 25 Ospean divisions, 3 divisions from Loyalist merge, 6 divisions from Imperial desertion. Total of 34 divisions.

## Prior to the war

### 1967 Reform

In September of 1967 the Cabrikk government went through a period of major reform. Amongst the new reforms was a limitation of the King's power alongside the formation of a new Parliament. One of the more controversial reforms, which sparked political unrest in parliament (most notably from Zebra, an MP from the Moderate Party at the time) was the introduction of Inactivity Camps. These camps would hold large amounts of inactive citizens, whom may leave the camp by simply asking. They were condemned abroad although the king remained adamant that the camps were beneficial to the economy and did not infringe on the rights of his citizens.
Overall the reform increased the activity of the nation for a few months. However the reliance on the king to run the nation ended up in inactivity yet again.

### DLoN Instablity

There was much political instability in the DLoN in the months leading up to the war. This was mostly induced by the return of Athium (formerly AME, now UMSA) and the temporary decline in Vulparian Power and Influence. Merely one year after the conflict started the DNTO was created.

### Reduction in Parliamentary Power

Due to Parliament being inactive, the King yet again dissolved it. In addition, a lack of any economy and a lack of a written constitution contributed to the inactivity. Prior to the outbreak of the war King Duno III died and was replaced by King Duno IV. His most notable actions prior to assassination was an attempted federalisation of the empire. The attempt at federalisation failed as all the colonies were even more inactive than Cabrik itself. However during the war some colonies sided with the Ospeans and some with the Cabrikk.

## Outbreak of the War

### Assassination

Rather suddenly, on the 18th February 1969, King Duno IV was addressing the nation in the capital of Cabrik City, when a large bang was heard, and the King collapsed. The nation was left stunned before the fighting began. He had no clear successor, and with parliament dissolved there was no body to determine it. There was a huge power vacuum, which some tried to fill. Prominent claimants include: Boius Ospelus, General Altre of the Cabrikk Armed forces and Noda Dono (Cabrikk letters not included), cousin of the late King Duno.

### Claimants

Following the fallout of the event, Noda Dono, cousing of the king, attempted to seize the throne. Crowning himself King Noda I he gathered all loyalists to his cause and officially declared war on the "pretenders". Those in the army who were dissatisfied with the new king, accusing him of being a "boy without any real experience", ignored his claim and followed Altre, who was declared Imperator of the Cabrikk Imperium.

Darius Boius Ospelus (DBO) represented the Ospean people of the nation. He did not want much to do with the succession crisis, however the scale of the situation caught many Ospeans in the crossfire. In response to this he declared his own independent "Ospean Republic" with himself as temporary Acting Dictator. He declared war on the Imperium and Kingdom, resulting in a three way war.

## Phase 1

### Start of the War and 1st Battle of Cabrik

Not all within the nation, and by extension the military, desired Noda to be king. Some said that his claim to the throne was too weak, although this was not the common opinion. Most who were disloyal to Noda were disloyal out of his reputation for incompetency. Indeed, they were surprised enough that he had been able to claim the throne in the first place. Most thought it beyond him. However the majority of the kingdom were in support of the new king. And so, for a few days, it appeared that a crisis had been averted.

But unbeknownst to the populace, preparations were being made for war. Altre did not believe that the new king was fit to rule, and many in the military agreed with him. As a result Altre planned a coup to depose Noda. Preparations were made and on the 22nd of February 1969 the plan was put in motion. The Parliamentary Palace was stormed and the King was ordered to abdicate. However, one of the King's advisors had anticipated this and immediately moved to counter Altre (albeit against Noda's orders). Altre's troops were caught and a battle ensued (Battle of Cabrik City). Altre's forces (which were rather small as intelligence suggested the King would have limited support) were forced to retreat. The war had begun.

### 1st Battle of Krimnoe

In response to the resistance demonstrated by Noda, Altre and his allies gathered in the city of Krimnoe. They declared a new "Cabrikk Imperium" with Krimnoe as its capital and Altre as its Imperator. Noda was infuriated by this and ordered his men to move to occupy the city. The general who had saved the King was not excused and was executed for disobediance.

2 divisions were sent in to Krimnoe. None came out. Altre was able to set up an ambush. The ambush caught the Loyalist forces by surprise (or, to be more specific, the king). They were quickly torn to shreds. The next 2 weeks would see a continuous back and forth fight between the Loyalists and the Imperials.

## Phase 2

### The Ospean Intervention

In order to secure the future of the Ospean people and prevent a totalitarian state under the rule of Imperator Altre, Darius Boius Ospelus rallied his people behind him and declared the independence of the Ospean Republic. King Noda, who at this point was days away from annihilation, allied with the Republic in return for his life and protection. If Ospelus won, Noda would no longer be king. Yet this was the only way he might survive.

Ospelus was declared Acting Dictator of the Republic, and immediately moved to organise the military. Seeing the threat the Ospeans posed, Altre sent 5 divisions to the border city of Ariston, in order to deal with them. However the vast majority of his forces remained focused on defeating Noda. However, this split later proved a huge fault. The entirety of the Ospean army was sent to Cabrik city, to defend Noda. A militia was formed to defend Ariston, however the military was deployed in Cabrik.

### 2nd Battle of Cabrik

This surprise move by the Ospeans and their apparent manoeuvrability stunned the Imperial forces. The sudden attack by Ospean forces started a rout and the Loyalists took advantage of this, pushing into imperial lines with a ferocity hitherto unseen. However Altre was able to re-organize his forces quickly and, seeing the hopelessness of the situation, attempted to retreat. The Imperials were surrounded on all sides, yet they were still on equal footing in the air. He ordered the air force to concentrate all fire and the ground forces to concentrate in one area, with the hope of retreating. He was successful to some degree, losing 50,000 men in the battle and saving 160,000. (2nd Battle of Cabrik).

Following this disastrous defeat, imperial forces would pull back and mend their wounds. However the attack on Ariston was already underway. With no way to maintain control of the city once captured, the city was bombed until only corpses and rubble remained. The bombing of Ariston would go on to become one of the greatest atrocities committed during the war, and by extension the existence of the Ospean Republic.

### 2nd Battle of Krimnoe and pursuit

The Republic was not one to wait, however. Almost as soon as the Imperium withdrew Ospea followed. The retreat would go on for 10 days, during which the retreat would kill 17,000 men, mostly from Ospean bombing. The Ospeans were close to Krimnoe Erada, on the outskirts of Krimnoe. It was not that far from their own capital of Ospela. However, unbeknownst to them, the area had been littered with landmines. The populace had been evacuated to the rest of the city.

Altre, in order to lure them in, left minimal landmines in the outskirts of the region. He sent some forces there to start a battle and begin their assault. After a minor battle, he ordered his forces to feign a retreat. The Ospean forces had not expected this, and communication with High Command was limited. As a result, the vast majority of divisions followed the Imperials in pursuit, whilst some took a more cautious approach. This proved disastrous. 4 divisions took heavy damage, whilst the 2 that did not pursue now had to consider a different approach.

The 2nd Battle of Krimnoe would go on for another 35 days. After the initial onslaught, the landmines were detonated, causing minimal casualties. Some remained however most had been detonated. The Ospean forces attempted to penetrate the city, however they were now outnumbered and exhausted whilst facing a foe which was the exact opposite.

Upon hearing of the disaster Ospelus ordered an immediate retreat. Expecting more troops to die, he began the creation of an additional 5 divisions. In attempting to retreat the divisions in Krimnoe where caught in a pincer and slaughtered by Imperial forces. Roughly 7,000 managed to escape.

### Battle of Ospela

During the next month there would be mostly minor skirmishes on the border. Most were won by the Imperium. Ospelus had ordered the creation of yet another 5 divisions. However the training of these new divisions was incomplete, and supplies were beginning to run out. Luckily foreign aid did manage to alleviate some of these shortages, but the crack were beginning to show. The Imperium was another story however. They had been exposed to Ospean propaganda after being garrisoned in numerous Ospean towns and were beginning to wonder about whether or not they were fighting for the right side. They had, after all, been opposed to the rule of an incompetent king. Now that threat had been defeated. Perhaps the Imperium was in the wrong? Most ignored these thoughts, however for some it began to seriously affect them.

Odradia was now dominated by the Imperium, Ospea's military remained strong however its capital was vulnerable. Imperial forces were called to the Ospe Rea valley, and they began to march. The sack of the Ospe Rea occurred between 2 - 7 May. Imperial forces burnt down everything in their path. The people were Ospean, they held no value. Every other child was executed, the rest were enslaved. As were the men, and they too were executed if the rejected the Imperium. The women were raped and if they were unfit to work executed. These atrocities may have had an effect on the outcome of the battle.

The battle raged for a few days. Both were evenly matched, yet it was evident the Imperium was beginning to gain ground. But this was not to last. The liberal ideology of the Republic proved attractive to some Imperial generals. Some had also lost faith in Altre, and believed the Republic had a better chance of success. Indeed, Altre had alienated some of them during the Sack of the Ospe Rea. They wanted to depose an incompetent king, not slaughter entire populations. It was for these reasons that, at the perceived end of the Republic, these men made their move.

## Phase 3

### Battle of Ospela

Without warning one third of the Imperial divisions would turn on the Imperium. Some were conflicted and confused by these orders, some outright refused causing some infighting. Suddenly Ospea had the advantage. Ospelus seized the opportunity and, in their confusion, the Imperial army was shattered. Altre ordered a retreat, however it was ineffective in lowering their losses.

The war would continue for another month, although at this point the victor was almost certain. Altre attempted to put up a fight, however the morale of his men was weak and the enemy's was not. On the 22nd June 1969 the Cabrikk Empire was formally dissolved, and the Ospean Republic was declared.

### Aftermath

Surprisingly, Ospelus did not give up his dictatorial powers once the Republic was secured. He claimed the Republic was not ready and needed more preparation. Although the fact that this period lasted for 7 years sparked great animosity and hostility towards Ospelus and his allies. Many of the military leaders who had betrayed Altre in the Battle of Ospela began to regret their decision. At the very least Altre had been open about his dictatorship. Ospelus kept trying to hide it and pretend that it was just a matter of time before the first election. Yet year after year it never came.

Meanwhile the Imperium, to some extent, survived the next 7 years. A large portion of Imperial leaders had been captured and executed in the last weeks of the war, however Imperator Altre and a few others had attempted to leave the country. Unfortunately for them, they encountered a large storm at sea. The ships were destroyed and their passengers presumed dead, including Altre. But the Republic failed to locate Altre's body, likely because it was still very much alive. Unbeknownst to the public, and the state, Altre had survived and been stranded on an island in the Kalivar Ocean. There he lay in exile, until April 1976, when he managed to leave the island he had inhabited for so long. During his exile his political beliefs had changed somewhat and he began to be more Liberal-leaning. Upon arriving on the Ospean coast, he set to work rallying the Cabrikk people to form a new, greater Imperium. He ordered the creation of an Imperial constitution, more democratic in nature than the previous Imperial constitution (which consisted of only his will). On May 1976 he declared war on the Ospean Republic, beginning the Second Ospela-Cabrikk War. Unlike the first, this conflict would last for 5 years, bringing untold devastation to Odradia. Even after the war Odradia never truly recovered. Nowadays the continent is a shadow of its former self, devastated by war and disaster. It will be decades, maybe even centuries, before a full recovery is ever made.