NCR-Ecclesia Conflict

## NCR-Ecclesia Conflict (3/22/3020-3/31/3020)

### Overview

The NCR (Neu Corporate Republik)-Ecclesia Conflict was a nine day conflict which began with an Ecclesian attack on Zaandam harbor, and ended with Republik forces occupying a large section of the city and forcing a peace treaty which would bring Ecclesia into the NCR.

### Prelude to War

While the Zaandam attack was met with great surprise, the days leading up to the conflict were filled with crisis and controversy that would see many international players come into action. The NCR-EFR War was in its early stages at the time, and Republik forces were pushing deep into modern day Aquinas. The invasion spurred a large international refugee crisis, and several nations began to accept EFR refugees.

Ecclesia itself accepted over 5,000 EFR refugees, setting up temporary shelters in churches across the city. Seeing the war and displacement of several thousand, Pontifex Rokossovsky would order the Zaandam attack, citing the refugee crisis and inhumanities as justification.

**Zaandam Attack**

On the morning of March 22, 3020, Ecclesia moved forward with a sudden and devastating attack on the Republik-controlled harbor in Zaandam. It is unknown for how long the attack on Zaandam was planned. The first indication of military activity took place the day before the attack. Heavy strike cruisers HHS St. Vincent and HHS Bulvol steamed to the open ocean after their christening ceremony only one day prior. The remaining ships consisted of a light cruiser, and two frigates. After 10 hours the strike group arrived in waters just off Zaandam the following morning. Poor weather made for a heavy fog and choppy seas, helping to disguise the ship's entry to coastal waters.

As the strike group was picked up on radar immediate communication was received to come about to avoid leaving international waters. It is believed at this moment Captain Yahontov gave the order to Ahead Full, which would result in the largest detonation of explosives throughout the conflict. Much uncertainty surrounds the actual viability of the strike group for surface combat. The radius of the explosions and the resulting damage suggest the Ecclesian ships were not constructed to be standard combat vessels, but were instead built with the interior design of a freighter, in which the large amounts of explosives were presumably stored. It is even unclear whether the turrets on the Ecclesian vessels ever fired a shot during the attack. Returning to the course of events, as the strike group reached full speed it became apparent that no come-about maneuver would be carried out. When the ships were a little over a mile from port, the Republik ordered an open fire, which battered several of the ships before they could ever reach the docks.

A fatal strategic error came when the Republik forces detonated a small nuclear warhead on one of the vessels. This detonation immediately ignited the Ecclesian ships which may have otherwise slid under the waves entirely before reaching the port, saving much of the impact of the shockwave of the thousands of tons of stored explosives within the ships hulls. As each Ecclesian ship had their explosives detonated or were sunk, the Zaandam Port became increasingly unstable. Exact loss of life has never been reported by the Republik, but with the amount of vessels in port, the number is estimated to have been in the thousands. Satellite images reveal the central pier to have entirely collapsed into the water from the attack, with heavy fires seen from the coast for days afterwards.

### The Air Raid

The day of the Zaandam Attack was marked with strife. With so much damage to the naval operations of the Republik’s surface fleet, the only immediately viable option for a counterattack was to come from the air. The Ecclesian surface fleet was stationed just offshore of the city, in prime position to aid the anti-air defense. Along with this fleet were Lancer interceptor squads patrolling the airspace. This defense would prove invaluable, as a Republik bomber raid was detected the same afternoon.

The number of jets in the North Doggerland Sea that afternoon remains unclear. Spectacular images from the coast of the city reveal scores of dogfights as the Lancer interceptors engaged the Republik escorts and bombers over the water. Anti-air flak from the ships lit the sky for over an hour until the strike force withdrew, the bombers never achieving their goal of hitting the city. As the Republik aerial strike force returned home, dozens of Ecclesian military and civilian ships became tasked with picking up the survivors of the aerial battle, including those of the Republik. These would be the first prisoners of war taken during the conflict. Several survivors were hauled out of the water, but most were not so lucky. Should one decide to dive the North Doggerland Sea today, they would undoubtedly come across scores of sunken Ecclesian and Republik planes from this battle, many with their loyal pilots still entombed inside.

### The Final Battle

The following evening on March 23rd, the main Republik forces arrived East of the city. They were not alone however, as contact was made with allied forces in the Oscdean State who arrived with several airships above the now-demolished Ecclesian western base. As the sun fell, an emergency message was broadcast by Pontifex Rokossovsky, reporting the imminent attack and a general evacuation order for all citizens. Following the broadcast, all power was cut throughout the city, shrouding it in darkness to throw off Republik air forces.

Republik airships began their assault on the city with paratrooper regiments landing on the Eastern side. Darkness made for poor landings, and the Republik forces were immediately engaged by Ecclesian infantry and armor which had set up positions throughout the city at the start of the conflict. Fierce fighting took place the entire night. As the Republik forces made their way to the center of the city, Ecclesian military engineers detonated explosives destroying the bridges over the central canal, rendering any mechanized crossing to the West that night impossible. This event marked the end of the ground battle, as Republik forces held the East of the city, and the Ecclesian and allied forces held the West. The battle for the air continued until early morning. Oscdean battleships engaged Republik zeppelins, ion cannons, plasma fire, and missile streaks were visible for miles around the city as one of the largest aerial battles in Doggerlands history took place. Citizens in Novenae and Lancastria reported the night sky as radiantly purple and light blue above Ecclesia the night of the final battle, owing to the firefight.

As morning set in, one would have had a hard time deciding who had won the battle. Debris from Republik and Oscdean airships littered the city, several highrises were still ablaze as fires raged throughout the area. Realizing the depth of the crisis, diplomatic channels were opened between the Pontifical Government and the Republik. A cease-fire was ordered on both sides, and peace negotiations began that would resolve 10 days later, on March 31, when a government delegation led by then Ecclesian Secretary of State Vyacheslav Reshevsky travelled to Novenae to make the agreement official. The aftermath of the conflict is an expensive and arduous process that has not ended even up to the present day. The political and economic situation of reparations due to the Republik after the conflict, to the full membership of Ecclesia within the Republik, to secession following the NCR's downfall, has forever changed the dynamic of the Ecclesian people and the country’s foreign relationships.

### Summary: A Republik Victory, or Strategic Failure?

The Republik military was widely unorganized, un-strategic, and impulsive in their attack strategy during the course of the conflict. Examples include: A Republik harbor decimated in part due to a Republik missile, a hasty aerial counterattack that never reached the city, a paratrooper assault in the dark of night onto prepared Ecclesian forces, and engaging their equal in military power, the Oscdean State, despite the potential consequence of an all-out war on multiple fronts. Regardless of these military decisions however, after just under three days half of the city was under Republik control, and peace talks underway.

### Peace

The peace terms negotiated by Secretary Reshevsky remained a mystery to the wider public for the duration of Ecclesia's involvement with the Republik. Today however it is known that the Republik was unusually lax with their post-war demands. Ecclesia was ordered to scuttle the majority of its naval forces, pay 25% of its GDP as reparations, and be subject to NCR Federal Laws. In return, Ecclesia kept control of its domestic agenda, notably including protections for Taurans, and kept control of its armed forces for six months post-conflict, avoiding a Republik occupation. These terms undoubtedly went far in preventing further conflict, and would eventually turn citizens around to favoring the Republik. The eventual defeat of the EFR saw a majority of Ecclesian citizens support, and even some enlistment from the state for the war itself.

At the signing of the agreement for Ecclesia to join the Neu Corporate Republik as the Thirteenth Prefecture on June 29, 3020, full clemency for the conflict was granted by both Chancellor Florian Steinbaeur and Pontifex Rokossovsky, and all future reparations were dropped. The conflict would be the first occasion Ecclesia attacked a foreign country in its long history, and ended centuries of isolation. The country's involvement with the Republik would significantly accelerate the spread of the Pontifical Church into NCR territories, and brought Republik corporations and influence into Ecclesia which are still felt today.

Ecclesia would continue as a Prefecture of the Republik until 7-31-3021, when Pontifex Konstantin IX declared independence after the collapse of the NCR.