Fourth Balkan War [Imperial Fatherland Only]

[Central Austrian Empire]

THE FOURTH BALKAN WAR

----------

DECEMBER, 1962

The Fourth Balkan War is a regional conflict in Southeastern Europe which began following the entry of the Republic of Yugoslavia into the Austro-Serbian War on the 21st of December, 1962.

Current Belligerents:

AUSTRIAN EMPIRE --- REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA

Timeline of Events:

October, 1962: A Serbian sniper attempts to assassinate Emperor Joseph Arpad von Habsburg-Lorraine of Austria at a military parade. He is quickly caught and killed, and papers found on his body detail a plot to destabilize the Empire by killing the popular Emperor, funded jointly by Serbia and Albania, both of whom have longstanding gripes with the Empire.

Austrian forces began a total invasion of Serbia on the 15th of October, followed by an invasion of Albania on the 17th. Fresh from combat in Turkey, the Austrian 1st Army makes excellent progress, pushing the Serbs back to their capital of Nis throughout the month. Progress through Albania is slower, with Austrian troops encountering stiff resistance from local militias as they push towards Tirana.

November, 1962: The 1st Army decimates the Royal Serbian Army outside of Krasevac, with Austrian planes harassing the Serbs as they fall back into Nis proper. The city is surrounded on the 14th and the siege begins. In Albania, the 2nd Army holds north of Tirana, waiting for the 1st Army to complete the conquest of Serbia. On November 18th, a general assault of Nis begins, with a bridge being built across Nisava River by the 44th Combat Engineers on the 21st. Nis Fortress is pounded by rocket artillery and planes and the garrison surrenders shortly after, on the 22nd.

Resistance is eliminated by the 24th, and over 200,000 Serbs, the remainder of their army, surrender and are shipped to Czechoslovakia, far away from sympathetic populations.

December, 1962: A provisional Serbian government is installed in Valjevo. The 1st Army garrisons troops along the border with the Republic of Yugoslavia, but most elements push west to Albania. North of Tirana, the fighting has ceased as the 2nd Army waits for reinforcements. The 1st Army reorganizes at the border of Albania and begins it's offensive, pushing deeply west by the 21st of December.

On the 21st of December, it is revealed that the Serbian government in exile and the Albanian state had made secret overtures to the Republic of Yugoslavia and received full membership. Yugoslav troops, joined by the remaining Albanians and some Serbian partisans, begin a massive assault. Generalfeldmarschall Conrad von Hetzenstaufel orders the 1st and 2nd Armies to fall back to the Kukes-Krasevac line, bisecting Serbia and anchored by mountains on one end and the Nisava River on the other. Meanwhile, the Imperial Army mobilizes south, bringing over 800,000 troops to bear on the outnumbered Yugoslavians...

[Central Austrian Empire]

Outside of Nis, Serbia, December 22nd, 1962

The Lohner Adler II.A was a magnificent aircraft, Johann thought to himself, teeth shaking mildly as he edged closer to his wingman. A filtered voice came over his earpiece.

"Not too close, Gold Four. Yugoslavs got all kinds of surprises for us."

"Solid copy, Gold Three."

Gold Three, or Tomas, was Johann's best friend. The scion of a Hungarian nobleman, he was a brilliant pilot and among the best drinkers Johann had the pleasure of barcrawling with. There was no time for that now though. Johann turned his head back, seeing his flight officer's helmet as he fiddled with the instruments.

"All good Peter?"

"Yes sir. Gonna give the 'slavs some good Steyr warheads."

"And not just that. I have the gun", he said, flipping control of the 20mm cannon from Peter's instrument panel to his own joystick with a switch. "And I'm gonna tear some of those bastards up."

A deeper, accented voice came over the helmet com.

"Coming up on target. Less than 60 seconds. Gold Squadron, pick your targets well. Remember why we're here - we gotta buy some time for the boys on the ground to prepare."

The dozen planes in Gold Squadron all answered affirmatively, and Johann saw Gold One begin his descent. He, too, nosed the Adler down, feeling the vibration of the powerful engines.

"Peter?"

"Got a bunch of tanks. Looks like we caught 'em in the open."

Indeed, as the clouds parted, Johann saw a line of armored vehicles and infantry moving along a road, looking like ants more than an army on the march. Johann felt the plane shudder, and saw four bright streaks in front of him. Then a second volley of four bright streaks.

"Good ripple fire, Peter."

"Thank you sir."

Bright explosions blossomed from the ground as the missiles' primitive heat tracking found their targets, some flying harmlessly overhead while others threw tanks into the air like they were toys. The rocket pods opened up next, and all Johann saw was fire as they flew closer. There was an explosion overhead and Johann briefly jerked his head around to see an aircraft, riddled with autocannon rounds, falling to the earth. Johann opened up with the cannon as the Yugoslavs turned from ants to cockroaches, larger now, and again, they were tossed about like so many dolls. More fire rocked the ground as the panicked Yugoslavs fired uselessly at the encroaching Austrians. The filtered voice again -

"Well done Gold Squadron. Let's get out of here."

Johann obliged, grudgingly, and he pulled the plane out of it's dive a few hundred feet above ground level. He saw the smoking wrecks of dozens of tanks, trucks, and the bodies of more than he could count.

"Gold Squadron, report in."

"Gold Two, standing by."

A pause.

"Gold Three?" A deep fear opened inside Johann, and he looked to his left wing. There was no one there.

"Gold Three? Is Gold Three standing by?"

Another silence. Johann cleared his throat, voice heavy.

"Gold Four is standing by."

He barely listened as the rest of the squadron checked in. Only one plane lost. Tomas - his wingman, his friend, the best drinking buddy and greatest womanizer in Budapest...shot by some anonymous Yugoslav APC gunner, some hairy Greek bastard with good damn luck, he thought. Only one plane, but the rest of the squadron could go to hell. He barely felt the tears dripping from his eyes. There wouldn't even be anything left of Tomas to bury. He swore loudly in Czech, a luxury he could never indulge on base, and cleared his head.

Whatever this damn war was for, it'd better be worth it.

--

Austrian Air Force bombers and fighters continually harass Yugoslav convoys and supply lines as the Von Hetzenstaufel Line materializes between Kukes and Krasevac, replete with trenches, headquarters, and heavy SAM batteries.

[Yurizlansia]

Central News
Minister of War Schukov Says That King “Sides” With Yugoslavia

In what is seen as an unprecedented action during the reign of Bohdan IV, Yurizlansia has sided itself with a power in a European war. Minister of War Kniaz graf Schukov left a meeting with the King today and declared Yurizlansian support for Yugoslavia! What does this mean? First and foremost, Yurizlansian churches ordered the priests and bishops to pray for the safety of Yugoslavian soldiers in the upcoming conflict, and an Encyclical from the Patriarch of the Yurizlansian Orthodox church was sent out to any priests within Yugoslavian and Austrian territory who God and His Son have decided to side with! Church bells can be heard throughout Yurizlanisa as Patriarch Vladimir IV declared that support for Yugoslavia is “necessary for the preservation of Christian Orthodoxy.” Vladimir has also ordered that priests with no parish from Yurizlansia go to the Yugoslav army and aid with any spiritual duties that must be done.

In security matters, the border with Central Austrian Empire Galicia was shut down, with soldiers ordered to keep quiet unless if the border is violated. I’m standing outside military headquarters in the city of Kyiv, who gives orders to all soldiers on the Western border, and there seems to be an uneasy quiet. Civilians are told to refrain from using telephones and radio as much as possible, as the signal may interfere with military orders coming from headquarters. Out here on Tkhvin Street, there are only a few scattered horse carts transporting foodstuffs to the fortifications that house the headquarters of the Yurizlansian military. Soldiers who pass me by on the street are usually in a happy mood, as a wave of Slavic nationalism seems to have passed through the soldiers in the Armed Forces. The Yurizlansian Air Force is flying reconnaissance sorties throughout the border with Austrian Galicia.

Politically, many sees this as a shrewd move by the King and his Minister. For once, Parliament was united with a bill that declared support for Yugoslavia. The Socialist Party views the Yugoslav Republic as brothers in ideology, and the more conservative parties view Yugoslavia as their brother in religion and ethnicity. Even the Pure Army, a group described as a terrorist organization in Yurizlansia praised the King and Parliament for the move, and pledged their members as volunteers for “The fight to preserve Orthodoxy and Slavic self-determination.” The King also declared that a military parade will be held, with I Army and II army marching to Kyiv before being placed on the front. It is said that correspondence with the Yugoslav Armed Forces will be necessary for victory for the Yugoslav Army.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To the Honorable Chancellors of Republika Yugoslaviya

Hello Friends and Comrades! The Kingdom of Yurizlansia is praying that God’s light shines upon you and your army in the fight against Catholic and Austrian aggression. My ministers and I do not doubt the feats of your accomplished armed forces in the past, but as everyone knows, it is important to have a friend and ally at your side. As such, I am writing to you from a position of authority that Yurizlansia will be willing to commit two field armies: I Army with about 120,000 personnel, and II Army of around 135,000 personnel. All you need to do is say the word and we will declare our support to you in the form of these armies. Including these men, we also have around 200,000 personnel in reserve formations that could be used if necessary. We will also be willing to commit our small yet superb air force to your cause. If you say the word, I can have my government declare war on Austria tomorrow, and hold a victory parade in Vienna by Sunday.

May God Be With You and Your People,

Bohdan Khmelnytsky, King of Yurizlansia, Protector of the Orthodox Faith

[Central Austrian Empire]

Austrian Troop Movements, Late December

The Imperial 8th and 9th Armies rush to Galicia, fortifying in both Lwow and the Carpathian mountains, at 200,000 strong, in an attempt to deter any Yurizlansian intervention.

In Serbia, the 5th and 7th Armies move outward, past the confluence of the Nisava and Danube to the other side of the Nisava, where they make camp and wait.

In Montenegro, the 6th Army moves towards the border with Albania but is otherwise still.


(Where yellow dots represent roughly 100,000 troops or 1 Army)

[North American Constitutional Republic]

THE FOURTH BALKAN WAR

(Image)

----------

DECEMBER, 1962

The Fourth Balkan War is a regional conflict in Southeastern Europe which began following the entry of the Republic of Yugoslavia into the Austro-Serbian War on the 21st of December, 1962.

Current Belligerents:

AUSTRIAN EMPIRE --- REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA

Timeline of Events:

October, 1962: A Serbian sniper attempts to assassinate Emperor Joseph Arpad von Habsburg-Lorraine of Austria at a military parade. He is quickly caught and killed, and papers found on his body detail a plot to destabilize the Empire by killing the popular Emperor, funded jointly by Serbia and Albania, both of whom have longstanding gripes with the Empire.

Austrian forces began a total invasion of Serbia on the 15th of October, followed by an invasion of Albania on the 17th. Fresh from combat in Turkey, the Austrian 1st Army makes excellent progress, pushing the Serbs back to their capital of Nis throughout the month. Progress through Albania is slower, with Austrian troops encountering stiff resistance from local militias as they push towards Tirana.

November, 1962: The 1st Army decimates the Royal Serbian Army outside of Krasevac, with Austrian planes harassing the Serbs as they fall back into Nis proper. The city is surrounded on the 14th and the siege begins. In Albania, the 2nd Army holds north of Tirana, waiting for the 1st Army to complete the conquest of Serbia. On November 18th, a general assault of Nis begins, with a bridge being built across Nisava River by the 44th Combat Engineers on the 21st. Nis Fortress is pounded by rocket artillery and planes and the garrison surrenders shortly after, on the 22nd.

Resistance is eliminated by the 24th, and over 200,000 Serbs, the remainder of their army, surrender and are shipped to Czechoslovakia, far away from sympathetic populations.

December, 1962: A provisional Serbian government is installed in Valjevo. The 1st Army garrisons troops along the border with the Republic of Yugoslavia, but most elements push west to Albania. North of Tirana, the fighting has ceased as the 2nd Army waits for reinforcements. The 1st Army reorganizes at the border of Albania and begins it's offensive, pushing deeply west by the 21st of December.

On the 21st of December, it is revealed that the Serbian government in exile and the Albanian state had made secret overtures to the Republic of Yugoslavia and received full membership. Yugoslav troops, joined by the remaining Albanians and some Serbian partisans, begin a massive assault. Generalfeldmarschall Conrad von Hetzenstaufel orders the 1st and 2nd Armies to fall back to the Kukes-Krasevac line, bisecting Serbia and anchored by mountains on one end and the Nisava River on the other. Meanwhile, the Imperial Army mobilizes south, bringing over 800,000 troops to bear on the outnumbered Yugoslavians...

11:38pm
20th of December 1962
34 Nautical Miles east of Malta
NACRN Invincible

46 year old Admiral Samuel McCray sat in his chair on the bridge of the NACRN Invincible aircraft carrier. It was a dark night, with no moon. His planes were practicingcarrier landings, before moving in to a combat patrol off the coast of Greece. As the ship sailed throught the night, rocking and rolling in the waves, with jets landing and taking off, Executive Officer Captain William J Halsey ran into the the bridge. "Sir, orders from command" he said as he caught his breathe and handed him a note. Struggling to read the note in the minimal light of the bridge, Admiral McCray saw that it read "Move to Adriatic Sea. Attack Austrian Empire aircraft. Defend the Republic of Yugoslavia". "Well let's go then" Admiral McCray said. One by one the jets were ordered to land and the ship made her way towards the Adriatic Sea.

2 days later...
8:15pm

25 year old Captain Adamo "Nunzio" Donatello, a native of New York City, and of Italian descent, sat in the cockpit of his F-4B Phantom fighter jet. As part of the NACRAF 32nd Carrier Fighter Squadron (the Crusaders), flying callsign Moonbay 1-1, he'd be leading a bombing raid on the town of Kukes, to cut the Austrian line in to two pieces. The plan was to create a breach in the enemy line where American forces could invade from. "Nunzio, you all set up there?" asked Nunzio's rio, 23 year old Captain Mark "Tom" Jones. "Yeah I'm good, waiting on you Tom" Nunzio replied. "Moonbay 1-1, cleared for takeoff" the deck controller said. "Roger" Nunzio said. The F-4 rocketed forward and lifted into the night sky. As the jet climbed into the night sky, it joined a group of A-4 Skyhawk jets, moving toward the target. "This is Gnome 1-1" the lead A-4 pilot said. "Roger, this is Moonbay 1-1 of your wing, we'll cover you as you make your run on Kukes" Nunzio said. "Yeah just don't shoot us down, when dancing with the enemy." Gnome 1-1 replied. "Oh, you're a smart little fella. Just try and keep up" Tom responded. The formation made its way northeast, toward Kukes.

35 minutes later...
8:50pm

"Boss, why I got nothing on my scope. No bad guys" Tom said. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're hiding in the hills, we'll need to be careful" Nunzio responded as he maneuvered the plane directly north, they'd lead the bombers north, and then turn back east to strike the enemy from behind. The danger was that the enemy would put up a fierce resistance if they were seen, so it was radio silence unless it was an absolute emergency. "Boss, multiple jets inbound, northwest high" Moonbay 1-2 called in. "Roger, 1-3, 1-4, stay with the bombers. 1-2, on me" Nunzio said. The two F-4's maneuvered into a tactical formation, known as "High Topping" . Moonbay 1-1 moved up three thousand feet above Moonbay 1-2. "Boss, two miles out" Moonbay 1-2 said. "Roger, Tom, you ready?" Nunzio asked. "Ready as can be boss" Tom responded. "Merged!" Moonbay 1-2 said. "Coming down" Nunzio said as he dove his F-4 toward the fight that was beginning below him. Nunzio maneuvered his jet behind a Lohner Adler II. He was unfamiliar with this fighter, but he knew enough that it had difficulties in a dive. "Come on, come on" Nunzio said as he watched the Lohner Adler maneuver in front of him. He was slightly impressed by the jet as it tried to get away. Just as suddenly, he lost sight of it. The aircraft had managed to pull out of sight of his F-4 and was now behind him. "Going down" Nunzio said. "Do it now" Tom responded as Nunzio rolled over to dive away from the enemy jet. As he dove, the Lohner Adler kept up, staying behind the Phantom to try and shoot him down. "Hold on" Nunzio said as he just as suddenly buried the control stick in his gut, pulling the F-4 into a pummeling 6 G pull out, and accelerating upward into the night sky. The Lohner Adler tried to keep up, but faced extreme difficulty. Just as suddenly, Nunzio snapped the aircraft around to the left, and began circling around the Adler. "You okay back there?" Nunzio said to Tom. "Not sure, are my guts on your canopy?" Tom responded. "You're okay." Nunzio responded as he maneuvered the aircraft around to end up behind the Adler, now having pulled out of it's dive. "Locked on...Firing" Nunzio said as an AIM-9 rushed off the pylon and hit the Adler square in the tail.

2 hours later
10:00pm

Nunzio turned his F-4 Phantom to land on the NACRN Invincible. As he landed, the aircraft shook. He and Tom had chocked up 3 kills that mission alone, with the rest of the squadron, brining the total up to 6 kills combined. As the jet landed, he couldn't help but wonder what the next stage would be. The breach point at Kukes had been opened, it was just a matter of time before the next phase of the war would be. Possibly a land invasion?

[Republika Yugoslaviya]

Yugoslav Army launches huge assault - Novi Pazar Captured



The 1st. Bulgarian Armoured Division, alongside the 2nd. Bulgarian Division attacked Kraljevo, opening a window for the 3rd. Bulgarian Division to seize Novi Pazar. Over the skies of the Adriatic Coast, the Yugoslav Airforce have pinned Austrian troops in Southern Montenegro to allow greater maneuverability for Yugoslav forces to harass Austrian forces stationed in Kukes.



The Yugoslav Flag being raised over Novi Pazar.

At the same time, Yugoslavia have mobilized significant Partisan groups to harass Austrian forces South of Belgrade, keeping the rapidly mobilized Austrian forces off balance, while the Yugoslav Forces in Middle-Serbia mount small skirmishes and tank-hunting missions.



The Wolves of Morava, a paramilitary partisan group in Austrian-occupied Serbia. This particular unit is on a convoy-hunting mission.



A female Serbian partisan, targeting Austrian officers.

[Yurizlansia]

Military Headquarters for Western Armies, Zhytomyr, Yurizlansia

“Galicia is a stain on the Prestige of Yurizlansia!” These were the words shouted by the War Minister Schukov during an emergency cabinet meeting with the King, and other high ranking generals, including the Grand Duke, the King’s brother, and Viktor graf Rivne, the King’s personal friend, who were in command of the I and II Army respectively. The War Minister had a point, Galicia had been a thorn in the side of many Yurizlansian kings for many years. Yurizlansia never owned Galicia but they had designs on it for years, and as they were preparing to take it from the fledgling Polish-Lithuanian state, it was taken from them by Austria. Many right-wing parties point out that Galicia not being in Yurizlansian hands is proof that the “liberal royal family does not care for the liberation of the Slavic people”. The King agreed with the Minister, but at the same time restraint must be shown. There is no way Germany would let Yurizlansia take a large portion of land from its ally in the First and Second World Wars.

The King was a strong, intelligent man, but the idea of “liberating” Galicia from the Catholic and ethnically German Austrian Empire was nearly causing his mouth to water. To take Galicia would be the greatest feat a Yurizlansian King has accomplished since the days of King Bohdan the Great defeating Poland in the Yurizlansian Independence War. He had 225,000 soldiers positioned on the border with Galicia, well provisioned with ample logistic personnel, for Yurizlansia learned what Russia had learned to late during the First “Weltkrieg”. Undoubtedly they would be restless to engage with Austrian soldiers across the border. The issue with that was is that despite Yurizlansian soldiers and equipment being good quality, Austrian soldiers were world-renowned for their brutal efficiency, and ability to fight in any terrain. The King could not sit there, doing nothing only a few days after proclaiming Yurizlansian support for Yugoslavia. The people would be let down, and as such he knew he had to act.

After sitting in silence he suddenly perked up, so much so his new-found excitement was noticed by Schukov and the other men there. The King had remembered the proclamation by the Pure Army to protect Slavs in Galicia from the Austrian forces. The Pure Army was a terror group, plain and simple, and their deaths against Austrian forces would not hurt Yurizlansia at all. He knew there was no way that the Pure Army would succeed in taking any significant chunks of land, but if they die, it would not bother the Yurizlansian government at all. It was a win-win situation. He had the War Minister tell the Paramilitaries to advance across the Austrian border and head towards the villages in Austrian Galicia all the way to Ternopil.

The other issue came in with the restless soldiers. Already restless with nationalist slogans they saw in the local newspapers, and cheers from civilians in Kyiv, the soldiers were desperate to move out and attack Austrian positions in Galicia. Orders were sent out from headquarters for probing maneuvers to being all along the line of the I Army. In particular, the 10th and 12th division would launch attacks towards Ternopil after the paramilitary forces leave. The two divisions were under orders not to capture Ternopil or attempt to hold any local successes, but instead determine the strength of the enemy and attempt to prevent Austrian reconnaissance from occurring.