Continental War

The **Continental War** (2003–2005) was the military conflict fought by the Independent State Allied Forces, the Aegian Federation, and the Golden Kingdom of Aurumor against the invading and occupying forces of the Federal Republic of Erusea for control of the Usean continent.

## Background

The Federal Republic of Erusea and the Federation of Central Usea, two major powers on the Usean continent, found themselves locked into a geostrategic rivalry during the 1990s. Erusean expansionism had recently resulted in the annexation of two neighboring countries; the Grand Duchy of Shilage and the Republic of Voslage. In 1996, both Erusea and Central Usea deployed their militaries to the small, independent region of Ugellas, located in western Usea near Gunther Sound. The standoff ended with the announcement of the discovery of the Ulysses 1994XF04 asteroid in 1996, causing Central Usea to withdraw its forces in order to focus on domestic matters. Central Usea then began planning construction of the Spaceguard Turret Network, nicknamed "Stonehenge."

The construction of Stonehenge quickly became a politically contentious matter itself. Based on pre-existing Central Usean designs for anti-ballistic missile defenses that were intended to render Erusea's strategic arsenal useless, Erusea worried that it would be used in that role post-impact. In order to assuage those fears, Stonehenge was placed under the Republic of Amber's administration, rather than Central Usea's, and the turrets themselves would be built in the neutral country.

The 1999 Ulysses Impact affected all of Usea when the asteroid's fragments struck in the July of 1999, but Erusea was among the hardest hit. A direct hit from the Ryker Fragment caused the destruction of the most developed segment of the Erusean capital city, Farbanti. Central Usea then insisted that Erusea, among other nations, accept refugees from other impacted areas. Still reeling from its own losses, Erusea instead closed its borders in the April of 2000. Refugees were forced into inhospitable and unsanitary camps before being shipped to other Usean nations under what the Erusean government called the "Humane Transport Plan."

Erusea's mishandling of the refugee crisis drew sharp condemnation from the international community, causing them to become the target of boycotts and Central Usean sanctions. With its economy faltering under the weight of the world's resentment and the damage to its infrastructure caused by Ulysses, Erusea invaded Amber and San Salvacion in the August of 2003, allowing them to take control of Stonehenge. In response, Central Usea announced that the Continental Nations' Economic Alliance, a trade bloc, would form the Independent State Allied Forces, providing member nations with a joint command structure for their militaries and a common defence treaty. With the strength of their combined military forces now a match for Erusea's, they sent an ultimatum; if the Eruseans did not vacate Stonehenge by the 14th of September, 2003, the ISAF would declare war.

## Overview

Despite the ISAF's threat, Erusea refused to leave. When the ISAF launched their attack, Erusea used airburst munitions fired by Stonehenge's railguns to deny close air support to ISAF ground forces. The ISAF was forced to retreat east as Stonehenge grounded and destroyed their air forces. As Erusean ground forces advanced on the ISAF general headquarters at Los Canas, a large ISAF strike package led by ace pilots attempted a strike on Stonehenge. The mission was a total failure, focing the ISAF to abandon Los Canas and relocate their headquarters to North Point. Materiel and personnel losses continued to hamper ISAF operations even after retreating outside of Stonehenge's engagement range. By mid-2004, all surviving ISAF forces had fled to islands off the eastern Usean coast and a small defensive perimeter around Saint Ark.

Over the next few months, Erusea became complacent with its strategic situation, allowing small-scale ISAF strikes to surgically dismantle Erusean military forces outside of Stonehenge's range. At a safe distance from Stonehenge, ISAF aircraft defended the relocated general headquarters at North Point from Erusean strategic bomber attacks until Erusean spies destroyed the archipelago's early warning radar network in September. In retaliation, an ISAF strike package retaliated by destroying a significant number of Erusean bombers on the mainland. This granted the ISAF a respite from Erusean attacks while more bombers were moved to the front. During this time, ISAF forces dismantled the infrastructure supporting the "invincible" Erusean expeditionary Aegir Fleet, ultimately sinking the fleet at Comberth Harbor in November.

The destruction of the Aegir Fleet allowed ISAF naval forces to operate with more freedom. In the January of 2005, they capitalized on their newfound opportunities by launching Operation Bunker Shot, a large-scale landing operation on the mainland's southeastern coast. The operation was a resounding success, and Erusea concentrated its defensed along the Tango Line, a north-to-south defensive bastion utilizing natural barricades such as the Waiapolo Mountains. The Tango Line was also situated entirely within the range of Stonehenge. In late February, the ISAF broke through the southern segment of the Tango Line, and liberated Los Canas in mid-March. However, further progress was hampered as ISAF forces began operating within the range of Stonehenge.