NationStates

Al Khayam stood as a minor city in the central steppe of Scythia with a population of over 56 million people in which only 21 million resided within the city its self while the rest mostly lived in the rural outskirts. Dozens of towns and villages dotted the outskirts of Al Khayam in which the remaining 35 million lived in these rural communities in the desert. The Central Scythian steppe was known as one of the major hot spots for the current Scythian insurgency led mostly by the Scythian Resistance Army of the Ummah which formed as a coalition of insurgent groups in the mid 1980s after a covert meeting was held between insurgent leaders that ultimately led to the formation of the SRAU. The insurgent coalition had solidified their presence throughout much of the desert despite the constant harassment by the National Republican Guard and the involvement of the Ordenite Army and Waffen-SS in trying to uproot them from the area. The last offensive by the SRAU had ended almost at the same time as the end of the Third Krasnovan War in which the Ordenites had succeeded in capitulating the Unified Eastern Star Soviets in Krasnova. Al Khayam's outlying towns and villages had seen an encroachment by the insurgents which was part of their last offensive to further cement themselves in the Desert region of Scythia. The National Republican Guard had launched several crackdowns and round ups of suspected insurgents in these towns and villages with little success in driving the insurgents out from around Al Khayam. The insurgents mostly camped out in the desert it self instead of the actual towns and villages themselves as to stay away from anti-guerilla forces, however if they needed to be inside these localities they did so in secret blending in with the population.

It had become apparent to the SRAU of the current overseas military campaigns on-going between the Ordenites and various Dienstadi powers. The Scythian Revolutionary Council of Jihad which oversaw the actions and activities of the SRAU as a whole had deemed it once again necessary to begin another offensive against their occupiers and their Fascist infidel collaborators. The desert region was a prime target for this offensive and the SRAU sought to further their gains and looked to launch attacks on a multitude of Republican Guard bases and checkpoints throughout the desert. Several battalions of the SRAU called the desert region home and it would be these battalions that would carry out the new offensive in which Al Khayam was a prime objective for the insurgents to infiltrate and disrupt stability in the area for the Ordenites and the Scythian Fascists. Not only did the Republican Guard and Police operate in Al Khayam and it's outlying areas but also the Auxiliary Corps of the Scythian Republican Fascist Party otherwise commonly referred to as the 'Black Brigades' that were the paramilitary arm of the SRFP. The insurgents would begin their offensive targeting security forces on the main roads leading into Al Khayam using primarily various methods of improvised explosives that the insurgents typically detonated through phones. These IEDs would generally be used on more softer targets such as the Republican Police who primarily drove non armored vehicles and were thus prime targets for the insurgents, however the Republican Guard were also susceptible to these explosives themselves as specially made IEDs designed by Sarcanzan foreign fighters developed a improvised penetrator that could pierce armored vehicles that lacked proper protection from improvised explosives.

The Scythian desert was ripe with rugged terrain that benefited the insurgents in carrying out their attacks against occupation forces. They generally traveled at night and mostly on foot as to not attract unwanted attention from Ordenite UCAVs that typically were used for tracking down insurgent movement. The insurgents regularly used very durable weapons that needed little maintenance for them to operate such as Krasnovan Kalashnikovs and Panoolie TK-60s. They traveled in groups of no more than twenty and would mostly use routes that traversed through the more rugged terrain to avoid detection by security forces and with them was usually at least one or two donkeys that would help haul heavier equipment and supplies. In this case the donkeys were hauling ammunition and parts for two 82mm mortars in which the insurgents were going to use in battle as after traveling on foot for over 6 hours one of these groups would begin to unpack and sort through the ammunition and assembling the two mortars. The insurgents had positioned themselves atop of a ridge that overlooked a nearby town on the outer edge of the Al Khayam locality in which their target was a small outpost manned by the Republican Guard who regularly held patrols in the area. This was done primarily to dissuade insurgents from attempting to insert influence upon the town. The insurgents began to split up into teams of five with one team manning the two mortars in which they had brought fifteen 82mm rounds to use for the attack on the outpost. The remaining three teams went on and positioned themselves in a way that the outpost would be receiving fire from three angles while also taking mortar fire from the insurgent mortar team perched on the ridge line.

The outpost had little going on in the means of activity as a previous patrol had already gone out and returned earlier which meant that all of the Republican Guardsmen were still in the outpost. A rocket propelled grenade abruptly cut through the air as it swiftly impacted against one side of the outpost's walls. The attack commenced as from three different angles the insurgents opened fire on the outpost and the Guardsmen themselves who sought for cover before returning fire. Additional rockets were fired at the outpost with most of them hitting the walls and surely shaking the defenders inside as they fought back against the sudden attack, all the while the insurgents moved methodically to close in on the outpost its self. The mortar team had yet to begin dropping shells as they waited to see if the others could infiltrate the outpost all the while fierce combat continued as the Guardsmen continued to put up resistance to the insurgent attack. A lucky shot from a rocket propelled grenade managed to land within the outpost its self maiming some of the Guardsmen who were in close quarters already. Ten minutes had passed since the attack began and for the most part the insurgents had yet to get inside the outpost its self although it was able to wound some of the Guardsmen, the commander of the attack coordinated with his fellow militants to begin falling back. The insurgents had long ago deemed that prolonged attacks on security forces were not tactically sound for them and thus tended to keep their attacks short and sweet.

"Pull back to the ridge line, brothers." The commander radioed in to the rest of his men as the attacking 5 man teams began to pull back. "Mortars, cover us." he added as the mortar team back on the ridge line having already zeroed in on the outpost began dropping 82mm shells on top of the Guardsmen. Another five minutes passed and the insurgents had already rendezvoused to the ridge line where they quickly packed up the two mortars and remaining shells on the donkeys and left the area. The outpost would soon after the insurgents had already left be relieved by additional Republican Guard units and Police who were not able to make it in time to catch the insurgents in the midst of battle. The Guardsmen in the embattled outpost suffered three casualties and over six wounded from shrapnel related injuries mostly while the insurgents came and went unscathed and while this would be seen as minor losses overall to the Republican Guard, the attack would spell a new round of fighting in the already volatile region.

Al Khayam's night life was a very important occasion for many Scythians living in the metropolis including those that collaborated with the Ordenites. Many Republican Policemen and their families frequented one local restaurant that was among one of the best establishments for Scythian cuisine in the city. The insurgents were known to carry out attacks in public targeting innocent civilians they deemed as collaborating with the Ordenites and even the Scythian Republican Fascist Party. A group of insurgents that wanted to become martyrs for their cause of resistance against the occupiers had already planned an attack on the restaurant that would take place during it's busiest hours. They planned to be armed while also having one among them be wearing a suicide vest that wielded enough explosives that it was near the same as military grade plastic explosives. The restaurant its self had a maximum occupancy of over 140 people and had an outside area where people could also eat, the insurgents hoped that plenty of people would be eating outside in order to maximize the bloodshed. The suicide vest wearer would be headed inside of the restaurant its self before detonating the explosive vest and killing himself along with many others in the process while the others would likely die fighting the Republican Police and Republican Guard that would respond. Once the insurgents readied their weapons and equipment they spent what would likely be their last moments alive indulging in prayer and saying their goodbyes to fellow comrades. They would all be wearing civilian clothing as not to rouse much suspicion of who they were, the person wearing the suicide vest wore a jacket over the vest as some of the others wore tactical vests to hold magazines and even a grenade or two.

It was in the late evening that the restaurant would be the most busiest with customers wanting to enjoy a fine dining experience in Al Khayam. The outside area of the restaurant was full of people as was the inside of the establishment as well. Some of those in attendance to the restaurant were Republican Policemen themselves along with in general members of the Sythian Republican Fascist Party, others however were normal citizens unaffiliated to what was going to inspire as a four door sedan arrived just outside and four men who were armed with Krasnovan kalashnikovs stepped out and went up to the outside area of the restaurant before beginning to open fire on anyone in sight. In just the first minute alone the four gunmen were able to gun down dozens of people unprepared for armed attackers to show up here as others outside and inside the restaurant looked for cover or a way out as panic set in and the gunfire continued. One of the insurgents began firing through the glass windows and into the restaurant its self spraying those not able to find cover with bullets as another took the pin off his frag grenade and chucked it inside. The grenade blast its self was able to maim and kill many who had tried to hide behind tables as the shrapnel tore through them with ease as besides the gunfire, the sounds of the dying and those that were still screaming for help could be heard throughout.

One of the Policemen who had managed to take cover and not be shot right away withdrew his sidearm and opened fire, as the insurgents focused fire on the lone Policeman and gunned him down where he stood. The suicide vest wearer made his way inside scouring the inside of the building picking off the dying and those that were still hiding. The others moved to the street where they had came from to confront arriving Republican Police who began arriving to the scene as a fierce gun battle would ensue. The insurgents fending off the Police would make quick work of the under armed first respondents as elements of the Republican Guard would begin to arrive in armored vehicles . One by one the three insurgents would die as they made their last stands against the Republican Guard who would then make their way into the restaurant its self. As they entered the outside area stepping over the countless bodies left in their wake, they would suddenly train their rifles on the last insurgent. Having exposed his suicide vest he had come out of hiding as the Republican Guard had started to enter the building, in one hand he had his assault rifle while the other hand was clenching something, once he raised his rifle at the Guardsmen they immediately brought him down. What they didn't know was that unlike other suicide vests they had encountered, this particular suicide vest was triggered by a dead man's switch. A sudden deafening explosion tore through the building as the dead man's switch triggered the vest to detonate it's explosives immediately killing the Guardsmen who had subdued the last insurgent. In the end over one hundred patrons had been killed in the attack overall with an additional 9 being Policemen and Republican Guardsmen who had initially responded to the attack, the Revolutionary Martyrs of Scythia Battalion part of the greater SRAU coalition claimed responsibility for the attack.

Ghamarah stood as a city with over fifty million inhabitants in the central desert steppes of Scythia. Ghamarah had historically been a settlement for the ancient Scythians who as nomads traveled across the Steppes frequently before deciding to settle permanently where Ghamarah now stands. The city had been the site of a minor battle during the Ordenite-Scythian War in 1966 in which over 60 percent of the then prepubescent city was heavily damaged in the fighting that took place there. However by 1983 much of Ghamarah had been steadily rebuilt and it's population steadily rose after that to where it is now with over fifty million Scythian inhabitants. The on-going occupation had affected them greatly as it had the rest of what was now termed 'Ordenite Scythia' as the current civilian government consisted of Scythian Christian fascists who were installed to power by the Ordenites themselves. The Scythian population's turn to faith in Sheikhism had been seen as a persistent threat by both occupiers and over the decades policies had been enforced to suppress it's overall popularity such as having a set number of Mosques being open to the public in all cities and towns. Sheikhism was also not allowed to be taught in schools in Scythia and any sort of religious orientated schools had long been outlawed by the occupying regime. Recently with the outbreak of war for the Ordenite Reich abroad it's original plan to deport much of the Scythian population to the Macabeans had fell short upon the break out of hostilities with only a mere hundred million getting the chance to leave out of over six hundred million who now still remained. The Ordenites had now formulated that the remainder of the population might as well be completely subservient to it and exist only to labor away for the betterment of the perceived 'Ordean Master Race'. This new direction in policy had resulted in the arrival of a substantial amount of now activated Volkssturm militiamen from Ordena proper who were likely to be the muscle for which the Reich would carry out it's final solution.

News had spread quickly among the population in Ghamarah in which told of the stories from surrounding towns and villages of Volkssturm militiamen and the infamous Einatzgruppen rounding up everyone. This news had also reached members of the Scythian resistance who for the past seventy years had fought against the Ordenite occupation and had since the fall of the former Socialist Republic of Scythia had turned to radical Shiekhism to empower them in their seemingly life long battle against the Reich for freedom. Broadcasts from two way radios were spread about the city of Ghamarah by the Resistance as Caliph Muhaajir al-Azad from his covert headquarters somewhere undisclosed in the country delivered several speeches encouraging the population in the city to defy the occupiers and not let one fellow Scythian into the hands of the Ordenites. Holy war was announced by the Caliph and further drove the point home that every Sheikhist was obligated by god to participate. Scythian insurgents in the city lurked about in the shadows and urban sprawl from the prying eyes of the Ordenites and their collaborators readying their weapons for the fight to come. Several battalions of the Scythian Reistance Army of the Ummah that operated in the vicinity of the city began to mobilize and converge towards Ghamarah its self under the noses of any authorities. Meanwhile reports from scouts and witnesses from the local population informed Resistance members of a fast moving column of Volkssturm militiamen and Einatzgruppen heading their way.

The column consisted primarily of Einatzgruppen in 4x4 utility trucks with additional buses and 8x8 heavy utility trucks for the transportation of civilians out of the city. A Volkssturm detachment which was at battalion level strength accompanied the SS men in Sd.Kfz 270 'Luchs' Armored Personnel Carriers and 'Nashorn' Infantry fighting vehicles. The Einatzgruppen themselves were lightly armed mostly for their own protection and for intimidation as it depended on the Volkssturm to be it's security in case they did encounter insurgents. Aside from the Ordenites their was to also be local Republican Police and Guardsmen that would meet at the designated area of the city to begin the round up operations. The insurgents already had figured out where the designated area was where the Ordenites and their collaborators were going to begin their operations and had thus swiftly positioned fighters there creating multiple kill zones. Soon enough the Einatzgruppen column began to arrive into the area with the awaiting Republican security forces having mostly cordoned off the area to allow for the Einatzgruppen to assemble themselves. As the SS men began to assemble and it's officers began relaying orders and procedures for the operation a fury of automatic rifle fire broke out causing them all to disperse to the cover of their vehicles. A pair of insurgents outside of the cordon area had peaked the corner of a wall and had began spraying down a Republican Police roadblock with MIK Duran assault rifles as other individual groups of insurgents began to spring up and attack the Ordenites. The Einatzgruppen and Volkssturm were immediately taken by surprise at the sudden attack as their Nashorn IFV escorts began opening up with their 30mm auto cannons and MGs.

The gunfire would soon be joined with the sounds of rocket propelled grenades and explosions, the vehicles themselves began to take on rocket fire forcing them to use what countermeasures they had. Several unarmored transports meant to ferry civilians were subsequently struck and either disabled or completely destroyed. The insurgents themselves had developed positions all over the cordoned area in small cells and were well equipped in which gave off the impression to the embattled Ordenites that they were outnumbered when in reality it was the complete opposite. Casualties were already mounting as multiple SS men and Volkssturm militiamen were struck and killed in the heated firefight going on, the Ordenites were now looking to fall back the way they came. Several armored vehicles operated by the Volkssturm had also taken damage with some being disabled completely from multiple rocket impacts. Much of the accompanying Republican Police and Guardsmen had been swiftly dealt with in the ensuing ambush as the insurgents were beginning to move to other positions to reengage the Ordenites. Much of the unarmored transports and buses were either disabled, abandoned or had been lucky enough to turn around and escape the ambush. Insurgent mortar teams soon enough began to get involved in the fight encouraging whatever Ordenites that were still stationary to not remain so any longer. Frantic radio transmissions from the embattled Volkssturm battalion would be picked up and reinforcements delegated to their rescue along with Luftwaffe intervention.

Several 'Wiking' UCAVs were swiftly deployed over Ghamarah as the fighting continued below giving the Volkssturm commanders a better picture of what was going on. Additional support from the Luftwaffe would soon arrive over the city consisting of a full squadron of Tiger-6M attack helicopters, while a squadron of Me 524 Multi Role Fighters were also on standby if requested. The insurgents having already fully expected the eventual intervention by the Luftwaffe and begun to make more careful and concealed movements including going through the sewer system in order to move unimpeded. Several strikes would occur due to the UCAVs which were fully armed with it's payload of air to ground missiles allowing the embattled Volkssturm and Einatzgruppen to further retreat from the ambush site. While the column was repulsed the insurgents knew that the Ordenites would now attempt to fully dislodge them from Ghamarah which was a fight they were looking to entice their foes into. The city's Republican Police and Guardsmen were by the time the column was repulsed, now having themselves come under attack from insurgents throughout the city. While it was believed that this was a major move by the insurgents to capture Ghamarah in reality the presence of the actively fighting insurgents numbered in the low thousands. The response to the sudden outbreak of fighting in Ghamarah would see an increase in Luftwaffe fly overs and coverage along with the massing of the Volkssturm now preparing to enter the city again to dislodge the insurgents and restore order. While most of the civilian population were encouraged to either shelter in place or flee, large crowds of ordinary Scythians began taking to the streets praising the Resistance fighters and even helping them set up roadblocks through major arteries of the city. The municipal headquarters of the Scythian Republican Fascist Party was swarmed by the mobs and set ablaze along with several churches frequented by collaborators.

The phone camera panned around a large crowd of people out in the street who many of them held signs and banners written in their native language detesting the Ordenite occupation. The crowd was further shouting slogans protesting the occupation and calling for revolution and holy war against their occupiers. The resistance had done well in projecting their influence among much of the populace and with the current clashes occurring in Ghamarah, the resistance was riling up tensions further against the Ordenites. The camera panned to the front of the growing crowd and in the distance was a line of Republican Police that had formed to block the growing crowd of people that were illegally assembling in public. The crowd continued to move forward despite the presence of the local authorities as well as the sounds of drones in the sky which were now converging on the area and actively kept tabs on the crowd. Once the crowd began to edge ever closer to the growing line of Republican Police a voice on a loudspeaker began to order the crowd to disperse and that they were currently breaking the law. The crowd however was not dispersing as they would soon come face to face with the local authorities assembled against them who were also armed, however further behind them were multiple Luchs Armored Personnel Carriers and Nashorn Infantry fighting vehicles that were part of a Volkssturm militia detachment. The armored vehicles soon enough made their way behind the line of Republican Police as Volkssturm militiamen backed up the local authorities, their weapons already pre aimed towards the crowd which the camera phone could make out.

Stones and rocks began to be thrown towards the Republican Police and the Volkssturm as the crowd continued chanting slogans and overall cursing at them. The loudspeaker continued to demand the crowd to disperse and warned that force would be used if they did not comply. Despite their warnings the crowd continued to persist as the Republican Police that were lined up against them began to fall back behind the Volkssturm militamen's armored vehicles and the Volkssturm took over the line with their weapons aimed directly at the crowd. Suddenly several tear gas canisters were fired into the crowd as the gas began to spread among them all causing the crowd to begin to break up due to it. The loudspeaker evidently cut out as in the midst of being tear gassed the Volkssturm militamen opened fire with their assault rifles as 7.93mm bullets began ripping through the crowd. The crowd began to frantically try and escape the militiamen who now had gunned down dozens of people in front of them, the camera phone shook as the person carrying it was also running for safety like everyone else. Once at a safe distance the person continued to record the carnage that was before him as the militiamen fired off additional warning shots into the air before advancing through the bullet mangled bodies, single shots were also given to any of the fallen that may have still been alive. The remainder of the crowd had already dispersed and mostly fled the area as what was hoped for by the Volkssturm and Republican Police, however the resistance was now preparing it's fighters to begin launching attacks across Timrīyah.

Following the violent break up of an illegal demonstration in Timrīyah the city was put under complete martial law by the Republican Police and Guardsmen. The streets were promptly cleared of all civilian traffic and people who were all told to remain in their homes. The local authorities were swiftly mobilized within the city to enforce the martial law along with the Volkssturm who in light of other instances of unrest going on elsewhere within Scythia bolstered themselves to also prepare for possible confrontation with insurgents. The insurgents anticipating the enacting of martial law following the protest had already begun sending out it's fighters who traveled primarily through the city's sewer system and or did their best to evade detection on the surface. A general plan of attack was already being put in motion as surgical strikes on the nervous system of Timrīyah were to be carried out with the objective being to draw the Ordenites into a bloody battle. Elsewhere in the city other insurgents went about planting roadside bombs and other explosives about for use in inflicting more damage on the occupiers during the coming battle. Several hours into the enacting of martial law the insurgents would begin their assault on the city from within as insurgents poising as normal civilians stood about out in the open seemingly clueless that they were not to be outside. First respondents being the Republican Police and Guardsmen patrols would evidently spot them and confront them on why they were breaking martial law in which the 'civilians' would suddenly reveal their weapons ambushing them. Sporadic gunfire would echo across the city as the insurgents hatched their attacks with Republican Police and Guardsmen finding themselves heading into ambushes set up by the insurgents. The Volkssturm upon receiving word that the insurgents were launching attacks within the city began to mobilize and set out in force to pacify them before they could fortify themselves into attrition warfare. However the Volkssturm would soon find that the insurgents had already prepared for them with improvised explosives having been planted in the streets as responding Volkssturm elements evidently drove through them causing likely significant damage to whichever unlucky vehicle happened to trigger the explosion.

The insurgents would see their plan come to fruition as their attacks succeeded and were able to get their fighters to set up effective kill zones along the major arteries of the city. Ordenite UCAVs were swift in responding to the outbreak of violence as they fed real time intelligence back to Volkssturm commanders while also making slim pickings of any insurgents they could fire their payload on. Hundreds of insurgents focused their numbers and firepower into the few areas they were able to swiftly secure proving to be a tough opponent to defeat without procuring significant losses of life and material. The Volkssturm garrison soon requested additional reinforcements to cordon off the city entirely less the insurgents be able to move outside forces in to bolster themselves further. Civilians that happened to be in the areas most affected by the fighting began to flee in droves in fear of the Ordenites intensifying their attempts to pacify the insurgents, many of the able bodied among them simply said goodbye to their families and joined the insurgents in their bitter fight. Volkssturm reinforcements would soon arrive with the deployment of a field army numbering at least 90,000 strong and would begin cordoning off the city setting up roadblocks along roads and highways that led in and out of Timrīyah with civilians trying to leave the city being turned back with force if necessary. Artillery began to take positions outside of the city mainly being 15cm towed howitzer batteries and several MLRS batteries too while the Volkssturm were also readying a force to enter the city and restore order and pacify the insurgents.

Despite the cordon of the city by the Volkssturm and it's build up for a pacification operation this did not hinder the insurgent's ability to out maneuver and strike elsewhere in the area. Neighboring towns and villages outside of the cordon were soon swiftly occupied by bands of heavily armed Scythian insurgents who after overpowering the local authorities began to launch hit and run attacks on the massing Volkssturm. Homemade rockets and improvised explosives would be used to good effect in harassing the Volkssturm manning the cordon and their logistics. These attacks would force the Volkssturm to divert forces from the city to clear the villages and towns now suddenly occupied by the insurgents and to ensure it's logistics were not hampered. Luftwaffe Tiger-6M Attack helicopters and Typhoon Multi Role Fighters would soon take over the skies above Timrīyah and the surrounding area to suppress and destroy insurgents from the air. As the fighting intensified the more civilians attempted to flee the city but were told to turn back again and again by Volkssturm militiamen who sometimes even fired on them to make them flee back into the city. Shelling from outside the cordon would soon begin raining down upon sections of the city held by the insurgents causing them to partially disengage the enemy and find better cover as 155mm shells caused wanton destruction in the streets. Local insurgent commanders soon began relaying orders to begin covering more ground within the city through the sewer system so to outmaneuver and flank the attacking Volkssturm who were concentrated in breaking the insurgent's current strongholds.

Dozens of insurgents began taking to the sewer system as they traversed outside of the current Volkssturm positions and resurfaced in their flanks before attacking them with the split element of surprise. Rocket propelled grenades fired off at flanking angles striking and disabling multiple armored vehicles as the militiamen themselves would be receiving fire from other angles. Insurgent mortar fire would only make the situation worse as the already embattled insurgents to the Volkssturm's front also began to pressure them as the militiamen would soon enough find themselves being nearly encircled. The attacking Volkssturm eventually would break off from the fight as they began to withdraw as to prevent being encircled, however the insurgents would swiftly ensure that a lone battalion was to be trapped in their jaws. The battalion which had already lost a significant portion of it's vehicles was soon fragmented in the panic to withdraw that they were split into several pockets of resistance. Rescue efforts from the withdrawing Volkssturm would evidently fail as the insurgents manned designated kill zones which prevented any sort of relief effort from breaking through. Artillery shelling and air strikes would continue in hopes of stalling the inevitable destruction of the battalion now behind enemy lines, however this would prove futile as the insurgents swiftly put and end to the battalion capturing alive over 40 men. It was quickly becoming reality for the Volkssturm and other security forces that the Scythian insurgency were more than capable of inflicting losses upon them and that their tactics were very effective. Further clashes and battles were already occurring across the Scythian steppe and elsewhere in the territory as a new phase of the insurgency began to rear it's ugly head to the Ordenites.

Two weeks had passed since the beginning of a overall ceasefire agreement between the Greater Ordenite Reich and the member-states of the Triumvirate. A prolonged and costly war had raged before hand which saw the destruction of the prized surface fleets of the Kriegsmarine. While territory was gained in Hailandkill, significant territory was lost in Krasnova with over 50% of the island now liberated by Macabean-led Triumvirate forces. Hundreds of thousands if not millions fought, bled and died on the battlefields of Western Krasnova with major battles occurring over cities such as Chernaya, Sterlya, Ol'khovka and Yukar. In the end despite the coming of the ceasefire the Ordenites had once again suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of the Golden Throne and her allies. However despite the war weariness of the Wehrmacht and much of the government, Reichsfuhrer Grossmann planned a resumption of hostilities to reverse the losses suffered during the war. Many in the Wehrmacht out right protested this decision and urged Grossmann to honor the ceasefire and instead focus on consolidating what territory they possessed in Krasnova. The Wehrmacht had already grown ever more tired of Grossmanns recklessness during the war in which countless lives were sacrificed for nothing in their eyes.

Grossmann had thus opted to not convene with the Oberkommando des Wehrmacht on plans to resume hostilities and instead arrived at Wewelsburg Castle to meet with his SS-Gruppenfuhrer's instead. Wewelsburg Castle had originally been of historic value during the Imperial period of Ordena and had come under the ownership of several Ordean Kings and Empires before eventually becoming the possession of the Ordenite-SS under then Reichsfuhrer-SS Karl Blumenthal. It had early on been used as a school for upcoming SS leaders before eventually being significantly rebuilt and expanded as a large SS estate. Wewelsburg Castile consisted of over 18 towers and a 19 meter high wall shaped as a three quarter circle in which within stood an entire 'SS Village' that included not only the Castle but a residential area as well. This village housed the families of various SS Leaders from across the Ordenite Schutzstaffel. The main tower referred to as the 'North Tower' housed within it several rooms where SS conferences and ritual ceremonies could be held, one of these rooms was the Obergruppenführersaal or 'Obergruppenfuhrer Hall' which was where Grossmann was to convene with his compatriots.

Reichsfuhrer Grossmann had of course been the first to arrive in the Hall as the SS-Gruppenfuhrer's began to arrive as well and take their seats. Grossmann took his seat last as before them all was a large map of Krasnova and in particular the de-facto 'DMZ' between Triumvirate held Krasnova and Ordenite held Krasnova. Markings and designations of significant forces on both sides were present on the map as the men examined it for a moment. The meeting would begin with a briefing on the current military situation following the ceasefire as Grossmann focused mostly on the map. What the men in the room did not know was that under the table its self was a primed block of military grade plastic explosive stuck to it with wires running through it. As the meeting went on a guard change outside the room was going on, one of the guards as they walked away to the barracks slid out a small detonator. Once he was out of the North Tower and now walking to the barracks he pressed down on the detonator causing a large explosion which engulfed the entire Hall. A alarm began to sound as other SS personnel and guards began to make their way into the North Tower to investigate and search for survivors, once the smoke had cleared everyone in the Hall including Grossmann were confirmed to have died in the explosion.

The death of Frederick Grossmann had made it's rounds as news to most in the upper echelon of the regime, however the general public were excluded in the knowledge of his death. The Reich Ministry for Propaganda and Enlightenment had been issued strict orders not to publicize the death of the Reichsfuhrer to the general public and certainly not to the region at large just yet. A plan was now being put into motion, a plan that had involved the untimely death of the Reichsfuhrer and for the Ordenite Wehrmacht to swoop in and restore order. The entirety of the Ordenite Wehrmacht were now at full time alert and in war readiness status this also included the activation and mobilization of the Reich's extensive arsenal of nuclear weaponry. This of course was normal protocol for such a tragic event such as the death of the Reichsfuhrer but was also to be used as a show of force internally and to crack down on the Wehrmacht's long time historic rival, the Ordenite-SS. The capital would see this first hand as every available Ordenite Heer formation in the direct vicinity of Berlina were activated and with orders to "secure the capital". For the first time in decades the main battle tanks and armored vehicles of the Ordenite Heer rode into Berlina and not for a parade. The government quarter was considered top priority to secure as Panzer and Panzergrenadiers made there way through the metropolis and eventually into the Government quarter its self.

The government quarter then had every possible entrance and exit sealed off by the Ordenite Heer as the next phase would now begin. A general order had been issued by the Oberkommando des Wehrmacht with approval from the National Socialist Party of Ordena without much input from it's Reich Leader who would be one of the many of SS men arrested. All SS leadership and more specifically all SS personnel holding rank above that of a SS-Oberfuhrer were to be detained while a special list of names of SS leaders were to be out right arrested for 'conspiracy to commit treason'. One of the first places within the Government Quarter that was raided was the SS Headquarters in which dozens upon dozens of SS personnel were rounded up by armed soldiers of the Heer and placed under arrest. Other SS offices such as the Reich Main Security Office were also raided by the Ordenite Heer as they rounded up dozens of SS personnel who were either of higher rank than a Oberleutnant or a wanted SS Leader. The SS Leibstandarte were without bloodshed detained and disarmed during the arrests that were now taking place across the Government Quarter. The Wehrmacht led "purge" of the Ordenite Schutzstaffel was to go on for the foreseeable future as they would need to comb through much of Ordena to find SS personnel that were now wanted for arrest by the Ordenite national government.

The war at hand between the Ordenite Reich and the Triumvirate were no more than a glimpse of hope for the Scythian peoples especially those that actively fought against their occupiers. The head figure of the long standing resistance movement against the Ordenites, and self proclaimed Caliph Muhaajir al-Azad was now urging his loyal followers and all followers of the faith to rise up and fight the occupier. However the Kaucaus region which was the most eastern peninsula to the south of Ordena proper was the main objective of the resistance's efforts. Historically the region had been called home for centuries by Krasnovan descendants and also was where Sheikhism also took root in. It had also been a historically contested region that time and time again was ruled by various Scythian empires and at the time of the Ordenite-Scythian War that brought about it's occupation was a small but fledgling Socialist Republic and satellite state of the Scythian Socialist Republic.

The region maintained a population of over 100,000,000 people of mostly Krasnovan descent but also mixed in were Scythians as well due to interracial mixing throughout it's history. The resistance also had a hand in the region as well with like minded Shiekhist followers with active fighters numbering in the high tens of thousands and were known for their warrior like spirit in battle and their proficiency in guerilla warfare. A daunting task was now ahead of them as the Resistance wanted to flex their might by beginning a major offensive to begin liberating the Kaucaus region under the noses of the Reich who were mainly busy fighting a major war on two fronts.

However they would not go about it alone as other minor offensives across Scythia began to be launched which were more so distractions for a major movement of Scythian fighters into the Kaucaus region. It was estimated that over 20,000 fighters bringing with them heavy weaponry and modified vehicles and supplies had been entering the region over the last two weeks. These reinforcements would be taking several routes into the region that were also used for smuggling and were not all that well known by the Ordenites themselves. Srebrenik stood as the closest city as to where these Scythian fighters could begin their liberation of the region and had already been amassing themselves in conjunction with fighters native to the region. Srebrenik was mostly a industrial focused city that now during the occupation by the Ordenites produced for them exclusively and thus maintained a healthy population of over 25 million.

A precursor to the eventual beginning of combat operations to begin liberating the city was the capture of several towns along one of the main roads leading into the city from the West. Resistance would be miniscule as the towns only had local police and militia available for their defense making them easy prey. Hundreds of Scythian fighters overwhelmed these towns, paving the way to Srebrenik from the West. The same result would be true to the North of the city as additional rebel fighters secured several towns along the main highway leading into Srebrenik. The rebels planned to capture the city in a twin pincer movement from the North and West. The assault would begin in the dead of night hours before the sun rose over the Scythian steppe. Two simultaneous suicide bombers riding in commercial trucks rigged to blow with explosives struck two checkpoints just outside of the city. These suicide attacks would signal to awaiting rebels to begin their assault as many rode out on technicals speeding into the city its self.

What resistance could be offered against the rebels by Srebrenik authorities did little to stop them from gaining ground. Selbschutz units would be some of the first to respond to the sudden assault by the rebels as they mobilized from their barracks elsewhere in the city to meet the threat head on. This confrontation would see the Selbschutz outgunned by the concentration of rebel fighters in the area forcing them to retreat as the rebels began letting off 60mm mortars against them. This development would see the swift mobilization of the city's Volkssturm garrison which consisted of two divisions worth of troops within the city proper. Additional Volkssturm forces in the surrounding area also mobilized to engage the rebel assault. Roving UAVs began feeding intelligence on rebel movements as the Volkssturm now looked to wrestle away control of the Northern approach to the city from the rebels. Due to the amount of rebels now in the immediate area of Srebrenik, the advancing Volkssturm did not get far before facing efforts to block them by the rebels.

Clusters of rebel fighters took positions along the main highway to the north of the city expecting the deployment of the Volkssturm. It was here along the M-4 Highway that major clashes erupted and would be where the rebels employed its modified vehicles and heavy weaponry. Rebel ATGM teams would now begin targeting Volkssturm vehicles with priority being tanks. Rebel technicals also utilized shoot and scoot tactics to prevent themselves from being easy prey to enemy AT weaponry. These technicals mostly utilized commercial class pick up trucks which were modified to mount machine guns, AA guns, and even rocket launchers.

The fight for Srebrenik was on and it would soon become a decisive battle that could decide the fate of the Kaucaus region as a whole. However the rebels were also looking to probe other areas more volatile to the occupiers.

Krasnova had once again been further shattetered as a nation after the conclusion of the Fourth Krasnovan War. However this war came with a different outcome due to the Macabean Erjemacht opening a second front in Western Krasnova, seizing the port city of Datosk and eventually Ivanovka and Sterlya fell too. The subsequent battles over Chernaya and Ol'khovka would lead to the loss of the former but retainment of the latter due to the untimely death of now former Reichsfuhrer Oswald Grossmann. This evidently led to the Ordenite Wehrmacht who temporarily took control of the national government, to enter negotiations with the Golden Throne. What would come of these negotiations would be the establishment of a ceasefire and the placement of an armistice between the warring parties. This armistice would not be completely permanent and would require the Ordenite Reich and the Golden Throne to reconvene every 5 to 10 years to renew the armistice.

Additional terms the Golden Throne and their fellow Triumvirate allies included were the abolishment of all Labour and Concentration camp facilities present in what remained of Ordenite territory on the island. This also extended to Hailandkill in that the Ordenite Reich could not establish Labour or Concentration camp facilities in their occupied territory. The Wehrmacht delegation to the armistice negotiations in the RE agreed to the terms and both sides would sign the armistice into being and peace slowly returned to the place that had suffered for over half a decade. Due to the agreement of the armistice the Ordenite Reich now under the leadership of returning Reichsfuhrer Kristian Richtofen began the freeing of over 21,000,000 forced laborers and prisoners and the closing of the camps they had suffered in for years.

Reichsfuhrer Richtofen would then pass the 'Fuhrer Directive No. 300' which would overturn and reverse much of the policies laid down and implemented during Grossmann's reign and included the return of partial religious liberty. The Orthodox Church of Krasnova had seen its membership and attendance to Church functions increase sharply since the end of the Third Krasnovan War. Many Krasnovans across the island if not the majority of them began to turn to God due to the harsh living and war weariness many faced. The upholding of what was expected of the Ordenites regarding the armistice would lead to the lifting of the Triumvirate blockade of both Ordena and Krasnova. The Ordenite Reich would then see to the return of the flow of necessary supplies and most important of all Wehrmacht manpower which the commanders in Krasnova had been prevented from receiving.

Millions upon millions of Wehrmacht personnel began to flood into what was now known as Reichsgaue Wegewald. Hundreds of thousands of tons of food, building materials and other necessities also arrived through the ports and harbors of cities such as Uslan, Kamenka, St Pyter and St Paul. Contractors and laborers from Navitek also soon arrived as they would go about rebuilding the war torn and ravaged cities of New Impen and Gryaznaya. What autonomy the Ordenite side of Krasnova still retained such as its own independent Armed Forces were now the past. The war had been particularly brutal for the Krasnovan Armed Forces and following the end of the war and the return of Richtofen as Reichsfuhrer, the KAF ceased to exist. Much of what remained of its personnel would be folded into the Ordenite Wehrmacht. The same would occur with the 'Krasnovan Unity Party of the Fatherland' which not only served as the civil administration on a municipal level but had also been in control of the tens of thousands of Krasnovan paramilitary who remained after the war. They too would be absorbed into the Ordean state and the National Socialist Party of Ordena.

The Ordenite Reich had seen how the Golden Throne was handling its territories including those it now possessed in Krasnova with its settlement of millions of military veterans. This was seen by Reichsfuhrer Richtofen as the opportunity to finally realize what he had envisioned. 'Generalplan Weltreich' had originally been drawn up and approved in 2024 a year prior to the initial invasion of the Krasnovan Red Star Union. It would see to the eventual colonization of the entirety of Krasnova with over 2-3 billion Ordenite settlers inhabiting the lands with a smaller indeginious minority of Krasnovans remaining as Serfs to their new Ordean masters.

Despite how recent events played out the colonization of what the Ordenites still held on to in Krasnova could and would still be realized. 700,000,000 Krasnovans remained in what was now Wegewald and at least 500,000,000 of them were Ethnic Ordenites and thus would be included in the regime's plans for colonization and incorporation into the Greater Ordenite Reich. This left 200,000,000 indeginious and non Ordenite Krasnovans for the Reich to figure out what to do with. A vast majority of them mainly lived within the Zvezda penninsula with the remainder sparsely spread amongst the rest of Wegewald among the Ethnic Ordenites. The Reich Labour Service which during the war had conscripted Krasnovans due to the blockade of the island would see even more Krasnovans fit for service enter their ranks due to an order passed down from the Interior Ministry. There was always work needing to be done and the RAD were already being deployed to the newly established 'Military Frontier' or in Ordenite 'Militärgrenze' on the border with the now enlarged Satrapy.

The Krasnovan Military Frontier was a concept taken during the times of the Ordenite Empire to defend its southern borders from Scythian raids and invasions. In this case it would be utilized by the Ordenite Reich to prevent further incursions by the Golden Throne into Reichsgaue Wegewald. The Frontier would be under the complete administration and control of the Ordenite Wehrmacht and would see the establishment of several new Wehrkreis or Defense Districts. The absolute forward edges of the Military Frontier would be inhabited and defended by resettled or already present Ethnic Ordenites who many had been raised as Volkssturm and were armed. They would now be termed as Wehrbauern and were essentially soldier settlers that were to be the first line of defense against a return of hostilities between the Golden Throne and the Ordenite Reich. However they would not be meant to repel attackers but slow them down long enough for the Wehrmacht to come to their aid.

Of course much of the Military Frontier would in time be settled by Ethnic Ordenites or Ordenite settlers from Ordena. It was planned that over 600,000,000 Ordenites would end up living within the Military Frontier which included cities such as Ol'khovka, Yukar, Dubrovnoye and even Kamenka. A smaller minority population of indeginious Krasnovans would also be present as Serfs who would be bound to the various land owners. Much of the future settlement population would largely be retired veterans from the Wehrmacht and their families who would be granted land to settle and ownership of Krasnovan Serfs to help cultivate it. The soon to be Serfs would however recieve some incentives such as religious liberties and only very basic health care. The Serf population would inevitably only recieve very basic educations with secondary school being unavailable to them under the Ordenites. They would still be allowed to marry and bear children only among themselves in order to keep there population from declining although a birth rate cap would be enforced and monitored by the NSPO Office of Racial Affairs.

Agrarian living would be widely encouraged and incentivized by the Ordenite government. However urban population centers would still exist these would be mostly to sustain the various major industries needed for the survival of Wegewald. Due to the outcome of the war Wegewald was left with only 51% fertile land for farming and agriculture. They were fortunate enough that much of the Northern steppe had gone mostly unscaved during the war and the Ordenite government began divvying out land plots for farmers. It was planned that for every 300 acres of fertile land there would be 30-40 farms cultivating them. This would in turn comprise of a settlement that would also include a NSPO headquarters building, a manor house for the SS or Partei leader of the settlement, a center for agricultural education, a small clinic for the medical needs of the inhabitants and several recreational and religious buildings.

Outside of the Military Frontier the settlements would be the exact same too. The administrative division of Wegewald would see the forming of several Gau's led by a Gauleiter. Ordeanization was already rapidly changing what had been Krasnova as many of the major cities were in the process of being renamed. The capital of the Reichsgaue was to be Susol which was to be renamed to Utenbruck. The city would be the seat of the Reichsleiter of Wegewald from which all major government institutions would reside for the forseeable future. Tens of millions of Ordenite settlers would see to the bringing of what belongings they could travel with and eventually arrive in Wegewald for their new lives as settlers, a trend that would continue for many many years.