Judean Conflict

Seomun Kang-Dae (서문 강대)
Commander, Republic of Kanadorika Navy
KNS Lýðveldi, Technical Research Ship
February 14, 1961

Spoiler:

The assignment was the easiest I've had in a long while. There was a war raging 200 miles away, yet the crew of the Lýðveldi was spending its time sunbathing in the climate of the warm sub tropical Nimbifer Ocean. It was more of a vacation than any serious deployment, with our only work being monitoring the conflict between Judea and  Kahanija. The Judean coast was 20 miles to the west, and out here the sea was as calm as ever. The only disturbance came from the squawking gulls who tried nesting in our radar mast, much to the dismay of our Radar technicians aboard.

I sat reclined in a chair, shirtless in the radiance of the sun on the Lýðveldi's deck. Today was an even slower day than usual, with intercepted radio transmissions being few and far between. Most of the men were outside on deck right now, with a dozen or so swimming in the water. I had promised the crew I'd personally barbecue everyone up some Northurlandic food and we'd have a party of sorts tonight. It wasn't necessarily a special occasion or anything of the such. I just felt like the crew deserved some fun.

The low rumble of thunder rolled across the horizon, disturbing my rest. I opened my eyes, the sun still shining as bright as ever. I shrugged it off, contributing it to odd weather patterns and once more closed my eyes. Yet the rumbling only got louder. It took a moment for me to realize it was the roar of jet aircraft in the distance. Not just any jets either, it sounded like military aircraft. I sat up from the recliner, my hand shielding my eyes from the intense sun as I scanned the sky for the culprit of the noise. I spotted two dots coming in from the shore, several miles way. It looked as if they were descending, and traveling at a high speed.

I cautiously made my way back to the bridge, still shirtless. There was no reason for any Kanadorikan aircraft to be flying in this area. Perhaps it was Judean?

One of my officers flagged me down. "Captain! We have aircraft approaching, bearing 65º 5.4 miles out"

"Yes, I made visual confirmation. Identification?"

"Uncertain, but they appear to be Judean judging by their origin."

"I see. Keep an eye on them. They may think we are Kahanijan and are checking us out to be sure. Let us do our best to not display any signs of agression."

"Aye Captain. Understood"

I stepped back out onto the deck, the sound growing louder by the second. They were heading right towards our ship, contributing to a sensation of unease building up in my gut. Eventually, the jet aircraft drowned out  all other noises and I could see them clearly right in front of me.

I saw the flashes before I heard anything. Ripping steel shredded the amidship deck, followed by the roar of an aircraft cannon. The fuckers were attacking us, a Kanadorikan Naval vessel. I quickly ran back to the bridge, my eyes still memorized by the incoming attackers. More flashes underneath their wings, and an explosion rocked the hull of the ship, throwing me off my footing. I quickly regained my balance, grabbing the ships intercom in my hand.

"THIS IS CAPTAIN SEOMUN. GENERAL QUARTERS,  GENERAL QUARTERS, ALL MEN MAN YOUR BATTLESTATIONS. AIRBORNE ATTACK UNDERWAY, I REPEAT, WE ARE UNDER AIRBORNE ATTACK."

The Judean aircraft screeched overhead, positioning to make another pass on our ship. The smell of burning bunker oil already stung my nostrils, and I next grabbed the radio mic as the bridge crew desperately attempted to assess damages.

"Mayday mayday. This is Commander Seomun Kang-Dae, CO of the Kanadorikan Technical Research vessel KNS Lýðveldi. We are under attack by Judean aircraft. I repeat, our ship is under attack by Judean aircraft."

The radio went quiet with several moments of static before my plea for help was returned.

"KNS Lýðveldi this is the attack carrier KNS Queen Sofia, due 50 nautical miles east of your position. A fighter squadron is being launched and directed to your coordinates. We will direct additional resources when they become available. KNS Lýðveldi, has damage been inflicted upon your vessel?"

"KNS Queen Sofia - KNS Lýðveldi, affirmative. The aircraft launched rockets and fired their cannons at our ship. The extent of the damage is unknown, however we are still seaworthy and the aircraft will be making another pass."

"KNS Lýðveldi - KNS Queen Sofia, copy. Please standby."

The aircraft once more grew louder, however they were greeted with the retort of 20mm autocannons. Woefully inadequate against even WWII aircraft, they were the best our lightly armed vessel could fight with. The Lýðveldi wasn't designed to be anywhere near combat. We were a wartime freighter converted in the 50s into a research ship.

The ripping noise of shredding steel erupted before me. I couldn't make visual contact with the aircraft, but they were just beginning their second attack. More explosions smashed into the ship, and I watched in horror as one of the men manning the AA gun was torn to shreds by 30mm aircraft cannon fire.

I wasn't thinking, it was instinctive, but I ran as fast as I could to the now unoccupied 20mm which was covered in the gore of the slain sailor below me. He was in the process of reloading the weapon, a loaded drum magazine still in his dead grip. I quickly swooped down and snatched the magazine, putting it in place on the weapon and placing the shoulder mounts around me. The aircraft turned around and began setting up for a third pass. I held my right thumb over the trigger, counting my seconds for them to get in just the right position.

Fire...

I pressed the trigger, and the gun began spitting 20mm High Explosive shells from its barrel as the aircraft hit the gun's sweetspot for range. It was impossible to hear it because of the overwhelming noise, however I managed to hit the right stabilizer, and a small piece was sheared off. Very little damage overall, but it was something. Unfortunately the aircraft continued right over my head and dropped a substance on the ship's bridge, which proceeded to ignite in a fiery inferno. Napalm.

The aircraft headed back towards the Judean coast, having presumably expended their ammunition. From the east however came a dozen Kanadorikan fighter aircraft, S-57s. A sonic boom shook the bones in my body as the aircraft quickly barreled down on the Judean jets. They were closing in the distance, one of the Kanadorikan aircraft launching a missile. The missile raced across the sky, leaving a silky trail of smoke behind it, then collided with one of the Judean fighters. The fighter became a fireball as debris and aviation parts rained down onto the ocean from the heavens. The second Judean pilot, having seen the death of his wingmate, ejected, parachuting down as his aircraft plummeted into the depths.

I took the moment to survey the wreckage surrounding me. The ship was burning, sending thick plumes of smoke into the atmosphere. Men scurried about wounded, tripping over the bodies of the deceased. We were listing starboard, taking in water from a hole that was blown into the hull of the ship. It was my first time under attack, the same could be said for most of the crew aside from some chiefs who served in the war. The diplomatic events that would follow grew on me. Regardless of whether the incident was an intentional attack, or an unfortunate mistake, the Kanadorikan government would certainly crack down hard on the Judeans. You don't fuck with a Kanadorikan ship.

Mun Sung-Nam  (문성남)
Prime Minister of the Republic of Kanadorika
Þorláksvík (Venesia), Hvidoved, Hvidovia, Kanadorika
February 14, 1961

Spoiler:

"We hit them where it hurts," The general passionately remarked, a thick cigar hanging from his mouth."Total nuclear annihilation of Judea. We don't even need to land men, Just launch some Hamar nuclear missiles and we can bomb those bastards back to the Stone Age!"

General Þorsteinsson was among the Air Force generals who truly believed conventional warfare was obsolete. In his eyes, tanks were nothing compared to the power of the atom bomb, ships were easy targets, and mass infantry operations and seaborne invasions were a thing of the past. Of course the other military branches vehemently disagreed with this, and as such, the army continued to build their tanks, while the Navy stuck with ships and was even giving the Air Force a run for its money by developing submarine based nuclear missile system. As for the Marines, they were stubborn folks who did not cooperate with any branch that did not have "Navy" in its name. While General Þorsteinsson continually attacked the Republican Marines as being a drain of defense spending Krónas, they fought back like only a grizzled bulldog could.

"Now Mr. Prime Minister, are we truly considering nuclear annihilation? What kind of cowardly behavior is that?" This time, it was Marine Field Marshal Magnus Nilsen speaking up. Nilsen had a well known dislike of General Þorsteinsson. "We can't just sit here at our desks twiddling our thumbs while an entire country is vaporized. We need boots on the ground in Judea, a means to see the nation first hand and ensure those responsible for the dastardly attack on the Lýðveldi are held responsible."

General Þorsteinsson's face showed he was rather annoyed with Nilsen's claims, though it would be Admiral Matti Bárðarson who spoke next.

"I agree with Field Marshal Nilsen here. Escalating this to nuclear warfare is really a step too far, but we also shouldn't invade Judea right away. Let's take in these recent events carefully and deploy a blockade against Judea. No war, but we force them to either capitulate without war, or they start the war themselves. After that, we can land all the troops we want on the beaches."

"Nilsen and the Admiral are correct here," spoke Field Marshal Kimi Tuomi of the Kanadorikan Army,   we simply don't need to resort to using strategic nuclear weapons when our conventional forces are superior to the Judean Defense Force in every conceivable way. We also should show restraint here. We put the Judeans into a vice, and see how they respond to determine what we do next."

It was no surprise that Nilsen and the Admiral agreed; after all the Marines were part of and inseparable from the Navy, and the two constantly defended each other from the other branches. It was Army Field Marshal Tuomi's response who caught my attention. It seemed all three were in favor of a conventional response instead of the all out nuclear warfare proposed by General Þorsteinsson.

"Then its settled," I finally added, having made my decision. "We deploy the Nimbifer Fleet against Judea and prevent shipping to and from the nation. Should the Judeans respond with force, we land Marines and Army personnel into Judea with Naval support. Our ground forces take land in Judea and establish airbases from which the Air Force will operate out of."

I too, had extensive military experience, having served as the Supreme Commander of Kanadorikan and Khawsian forces in the Eporanian Theater of WWII. It had only been a month since I entered office as Prime Minister, though I never had to fight for the respect of the General Staff of the armed forces. Each man in this room knew I was an accomplished military commander, and they never spared me the technical details of their battle plans. As such, I could organize military operations exactly as I wanted them, without having to rely on a General to interpret my orders for me.

Wouter Vanderdal
Flondar Trade
Western Hezrana Ocean
February 16, 1961

A merchant ship carrying goods on its way back to Ninhundland was travelling a normal journey. Ships have made this journey several times before, what could be any different this time? The sea was calm as the sun set across the western horizon, the warmth of the air blew across the boat felt like a beautiful evening. The weather was expected to be calm together so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

BOOM! I heard what had sounded to be a gun shot at around 2, it was the middle of the night what could possibly be out there. I got up immediately, there was no storm. Then I saw in the distance what looked to be destroyers, I had to call for Ninhundish naval support right away and then find somewhere to dock safely until they show up.

After notifying the government, I now had to land. I wasn’t the only one on this ship and there were well over 2 million Gelder of goods which needed to be in Ninhundland by March. All of a sudden the boat began to rock and crashed on the shore of an island. Luckily we were close but the boat began to flip and I made a jump for the land. The next thing I remember is waking up the next morning and seeing a shipwreck in front of me.