NationStates Jolt Archive

Not so very long ago, Larionko Aidarov was at the head of a government under attack, resisting desperately against the forces of France and the Estenlands as Lavrgeria's innocence was crushed under firestorms and ballistic missile strikes. Since then, much as Tsar Wingert had taken charge of all the Russias and France had pounced upon territory from Africa to Asia, Larionko, who had become Lav, the lion, was reborn and had grown-up beside a new nation.

Yugoslavia's childhood was conducted under the protection of a man with bitter experience, and its People's Army mustered over one hundred and eighty thousand men, including conscripts and volunteers drawn to the revolutionary Pan-Slavic banner of this lion. The Air Force added better than forty thousand more, and the navy a less impressive thirteen thousand. Defence in depth was -for a people fearing Italy, France, and the Russian Empire, supported by more distant Roycelandia, and in the past unable to trust the mysterious Ottoman neighbour- fundamentally important, and reserve and territorial forces were far more impressive in size, and might have seemed a pain were it not for the sheer excitement of building a nation and of newly uniting the South Slavs in strength.

Recently, with diplomats seeking to negotiate non-aggression with the Turks and the Holy League sitting so near, in Rome, the disposition of forces in the north, apparently almost ignoring Bulgaria's border with Turkey and the long Greek frontier seemed a little easier to stomach: it was necessary because of the former threat from Italy and the ever-present Russian menace, with Belgrade keen to support Romania, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia in the event of further Russian expansion.

Socialist Republic of Slovenia

The rail link from Ljubljana was always busy en route to the border. Whether or not the rest of Europe liked it, Slovenia was on a major transit point for continental commerce, and several major highways and railways cut through the Alpine domain at the edge of the SFRY. It was not surprising, then, to see railcars headed north, nor to see bus after bus and truck after truck rolling along near the tracks. Many trains from the SRS capital, and some from the western line, continued on to Jesenice, while other trucks branched off mid-way between Kranj and Radovljica and headed more directly north.

Further east, trucks and trains passed through Maribor and Pesnica, also heading north. Between the point at which many of these journeys terminated on the Austrian border (some went on, carrying-out their commercial business and hoping that the possibility of coming Austrian association with the Holy League would not mean an end to trade) and somewhere just east of Gornja Radgona, border units were strung-out.

It was all fairly ordinary on a border traditionally militarised to the south not specifically against the northern partner but the possibility that said partner may just happen to get in the way of a Russian invasion of Yugoslavia, or, in the other direction, lie between a Russian invasion of Slovakia and the Czech Republic and the Yugoslav response to it. The Yugoslavs weren't in the habit of antagonising their Austrian opposites, anyway, and were happy to wave, trade, and chat with them when the opportunity arose.

At Gornja Radgona and just west, north of Maribor, Yugoslav trains approached the border, hauling containers laden with chemicals exported by the industry-heavy Yugoslavia to a hungry Austrian economy. Having a nation with a notably smaller per-capita GDP on ones border, even if the workers had strong unionisation, was a good way for the Austrians to get their industrial chemicals quite cheaply, at least, and if nothing else they were known to be big on making profit. Yugoslav samoupravljanje (self-management) enterprises were happy to oblige.

Tonight, there was something different about the commerce.

Southern Austria

The small hours of the morning, and the Yugoslavian train rattled across the Mura rail bridge. Similarly, a second crossed the border on the line beside the main highway to Graz. They were expected, the shipments of Serbian chemical companies on their way to Austrian businesses, and if anyone really wanted to look inside a tank of industrial chemicals they would see plenty sloshing about in there, and could even test it if they had the will and means. The second train advanced just a short distance across the border, but further than the first, which already had halted and disgorged semi-elite YPA soldiers armed with silenced Zastava M85 5.45mm submachine-guns and equipped with nightvision goggles.

The soldiers, glad to be out of the cramped and hot conditions of an air and water-tight container-within-a-container, exited through hatches under the tankers and emptied whole magazines of assault-rifle ammunition from their little SMGs, balanced by gas expansion chambers against the otherwise unworkable power of the cartridge.

It was indulgent over-kill on Aidarov's behalf, since the bridge could have been secured with far less fuss.

Back to the west, the same happened again, this time it was not a bridge directly on the border but one a short way inside Austrian territory that the Yugoslavians wished to take, and they hurried to establish light machineguns, Bumbar anti-tank missiles, and Sava-2 MANPADS in the dead of night at the intersection of two railway lines, the highway to Graz, and the Mur(a) river. Anyone approaching, even at this late hour, would be met by supposedly Austrian police (seemingly from the significant local Slovenian minority) telling them that an accident necessitated a roadblock... and then, most likely, they would be silently killed.

Far to the west, south of Klagenfurt, a third train attempted the same sort of deployment on the Drava (Drau), hoping to establish man-portable anti-tank missiles, anti-infantry machineguns, and anti-aircraft missiles to hold and confuse the Austrians as the Yugoslav People's Army stormed across the border by train, truck, tank, and foot.

Whether or not the bridges held and the stretch of rail just inside the Austrian border in Styria was left intact for the few minutes it would take YPA vanguard units to swarm across it was of only so much significance, something to try, and perhaps to distract the defenders by any attempts they may make to destroy these infrastructural items.

The border

Styria and Carinthia were under full-scale attack as Lav's forces answered the dawn chorus with mobile artillery and rocketry from 122mm guns and 128mm tubes in an attempt to bruise border defences before quickly displacing and advancing, while J-23 Super Orao and L-20 Putin jets raced low at high speed, popping up from behind Slovenia's peaks to attack Klagenfurt, Zeltweg, and Graz, the furthest of which lay hardly three minutes flight time from the border, the nearest, Klagenfurt, not far enough away for personnel to wet themselves before TV and radar-homing Grom-B missiles began to crash into airport facilities, even if the alert went out in time to wake them first.

Perhaps the Goldhaube ground-based radar network would alert Graz in just enough time before the sound of explosions for it to begin launching interceptors, but Belgrade was not worried about Austria's air force or anti-aircraft artillery- it hadn't received Holy League aid as yet, and this was precisely why the YPA was ordered to strike now, before enemy forces arrived in strength. It was well that the timing of Austria's tentative association with the League came just as France and its other allies were engaged with African, Asian, and British commitments.

Several doezn J-23 attack jets, a fair rival for the famous Jaguar, leading the strike against airbases with Graz their main target, were supported by the sixty L-20 fighters that soon climbed above them, sure to have height as well as surprise, numbers, and quite probably technology on their side against any Austrian attempt to scramble fighters against the J-23s showering their bases with Grom-B missiles and LVB-250 laser-guided bombs.

"I hope they do manage to get some planes up" Federal Secretary for National Defence Kastus Vorobei had declared after nodding to confirm the start of the invasion, "I want to show the damn Leaguers that Yugoslavia's air force is not what Lavrageria's was."

From the south and southwest roads towards Klagenfurt and up the main road to Graz and on both banks of the river, YPA mechanised forces moved in FAP-2026 and FAP-283 trucks, UAZs, M-60P APCs, and BVP M80AK ICVs, escorted by BOV self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, SAVA self-propelled SAMs, Munja engineering vehicles, and the M-84 and derivative battle tanks of four whole tank brigades, plus the massive defence of four AFRISAM regiments.

Outnumbered almost four to one and hit without warning before sunrise, Austria faced a mighty task if it were to collect its senses and mount a defence before Yugoslavia's massive Army Trained Reserve could be brought to bear.

Yugoslavia

Thirty million awake to war, and more than half a million in the Army Trained Reserve hear the call to arms. You're going to Graz! Down with the wedge between South and North Slavs! Down with the Holy League! Death to Austria!

Larionko Aidarov adjusted his remarkably conventional suit and tie and cleared his throat, preparing to look less like that nut Tchokareff than he had on departing Lavrageria in traditional dress and more like a reasonable businessman, politician, and general engaged in a preemptive strike against the insipid influence of the Holy League. Lights struck the strong features of the Lion, deep in the modern extensions to the ancient tunnels below Petrovaradin, and he blinked then quickly collected himself.

On in three, two, one...

OOC: As you can see, so far some specifics are missing in respect of the main thrust of the attack and its strength and composition. I know that this is rather without warning, but the timing is close to right for Yugoslavia, and we aren't going to wait for the HL to convince Vienna and put thousands of hostile troops and bombers in range of the Socialist Federal Republic.

We can start an OOC thread if required.

I'm hopeful that this war may cause some interesting policy decisions abroad, and may be a little different to other conflicts: a lot of the 1st tier powers are quite committed, or remote, and with Yugoslavia a 2nd tier power and Austria small but quite wealthy and with some difficult terrain it shouldn't be a clash like the nuclear deathtrap of Dra-pol vs. Quinntonia, nor a joke like everyone vs. tiny African backwater.

But, I'll probably be proved wrong, one way or another.

Make way, make way! Make way for the YPA!

tag!

Mumbai will of course be happy to see the Lav back on track. IC post sooner or later.

But does Moorington know that he's being mugged?

(OOC: He has a telegram waiting, though I fear that it may have arrived just a few minutes after his last activity, so it may be a while before his next activity alerts him to it.)

When he spoke for the camera, Aidarov did not know what would have been the reaction of the Austrians and the rest of the world by the time the tapes were released several hours later.

Though the invasion, with little planning and only really the extra mobilisation and stockpiling made necessary by Yugoslavia's limbo status in respect of possible HL invasion, may have been a total surprise, Aidarov's address was probably not too remarkable in itself.

He spoke of the Estenlandic conspiracy to make peasants Slavs and their neighbours, and of the vulnerability of the Czechs and Slovaks. Long-standing speculation about Austrian imperialism, especially regarding the Czech Republic, and their maritime ambitions.

Lav also accused the Austrians of mistreating Slovenian and other minorities, and of planning worse with moves towards the Holy League.

But he did not attempt to hide that Yugoslavia's key reason for deciding to destroy the Austrian government was a fear that the League would convince Vienna to join and to accept its armaments, policies, vendettas, and bombers, and that Yugoslavia would be attacked.

"It is not in high spirits that we commit to this war with the Austrian government, which I stress is quite different from the Austrian people, but in somber commitment to the preservation of democracy, socialism, and pan-Slavic unity in the Balkans.

"This is an unfortunate tactical necessity in the struggle for survival that has been perpetuated by the imperialism of the Holy League, and blame lies on the blood-soaked golden doorsteps of Louis and Wingert, for without their actions this would never have been necessary.

"I appeal to the Austrian people to understand this horrid circumstance and to accept it with good grace and stoid conviction that prevention of slaughter such as that directed against the people of Lavrageria saves themselves and their neighbours. They know, I am sure, that diplomacy could not succeed where Yugoslavia is one party and the entire Holy League, with bombers and missiles in range of Vienna, the other.

"My comrade soldiers, remember this too, and carry the understanding of necessity not malice with you in your actions against pro-government resistance that threatens unwittingly to bring Franco-Russian stormtroopers to Austria and to the Yugoslavian frontier."

(OOC: Just a link to the Yugoslavian homepage (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=463318) where some news stories that are potentially significant to the war may be posted if they're also more generally significant or lasting. Minor updates coming there, soon, while I wait for the Austrians/anyone-else.)

The forgetful Minister Of War -Alfred Homer- was doing his usual morning run; sending messages on his Ghana -A Stille Incorporated palm computer- sifting through yesterday and thinking about the coming day when he heard the sonic booms from the not yet known Yugoslavian aircraft. Before being put in as head of the Army and Air force he was a pilot and still had a useful modified Microsoft tool that constantly updated him on the doings of air squadrons. He had not seen it for some time but being human, curiosity overwhelmed him. There were no flights scheduled anywhere near the hole in the wall village outside Graz.

Hearing airplanes near Graz was usual as seeing the sky blue but not very often -never- did they blatantly shove the no fly zone above and around the south of Graz (which was made mandate in 2004 because of the ever increasing commercial flights and Arab Republic investors who didn‘t need to be awakened by a sonic boom).

He got his Ghana out again as he headed for home to get Chancellor Maxen (who was the one with the real power these days) notified of the air attacks. Which at the time he thought British.


Austria was in no means on a war footing, war was the least forthcoming thought in anyone’s heads right up till the invasion was made known. Austrian factories still produced their luxury and sport models, electronic firms were still making little gadgets to be sold over the summer heat when everybody was glad to go inside, even the government was slightly laid back as now most of the work over the new Austrian colonies was done as well as the Holy League. Who was welcoming Austria in and the last stages were totally up to the Chancellor. Military intelligence was even caught with their pants down as they had been focusing the vast majority of their work on the Arab Republic, The Iberian Peninsula, and the Czech Republic.

Within the fore night the whole landscape had changed. Always close The Gizatte Company, Austrian Motor Works, and Stille Incorporated had already shifted the vast majority of the multi-tasking plants to the making of war vehicles. The Eurofighter, which had been at the backburner was shifted to afterburner (excuse the pun) and already German designed Panther (II?)’s were coming off the production line. Anyone who was still looking at the financial markets (there were quit a few) would have been surprised. Usually prices spiked in anticipation of rationing by governments which had occurred slightly in anticipation of the new Iberian War. Now commodities jumped with force but not with the dismal force economists were projecting, obviously the rather neutral nations of The Arab Republic, Quintonnia, China, and most of South America still kept some sort of price cap on inflation fears and commodity prices (not literal ones of course). Investment was still up, consumer spending had picked up by 200% with only moderate use of the cliché propaganda “Buy (fill in blank) and help the war effort!”. Stock prices for automotive, military, and industrial stocks were up on average of 100% and it seemed that the Silvarian was going to keep going and if not improve its standing would certainly not decrease. As Austria never ratified the European Union much less having a national bank not under the government’s control the Federated Austrian National Bank chairwomen Ellen Barbados didn’t bolt for the interest rates and all the for coming doom never really seemed to fall son in one fell swoop.

The world outside of Yugoslavia still pretty much stayed the same, Austria continued to get oil from United Emirates, The Arab Republic, Tsar Wingert, and a touch from Depkziah (but not to much as the relations had been cordial ever since the Depkziah refusal of the corporations). Actually the turn of events forced Austria more towards The Holy League as now oil came totally through The Holy League (before now, the Austrian government still kept around a third of its oil flowing from Greece on up, a third from combined Russia and Depkziah, and the last third from the Americas.) territory via Italy, France, Russia, and Spain. (The Austrian government foresaw a slight hardening in British-Austria relations and wisely kept most Atlantic trading bound for France and Spain. Another unknown fact was that in exchange for trying to use as much Swiss banking and directing Austrian clients to Switzerland while letting a few bits and pieces of the Eurofighter slip across Liechtenstein combined with turning over several criminals to Swiss authorities provided the Austrian air force a slightly “gray” area to work; Liechtenstein which would be heavily used in the coming days..

With the invasion the recruit would swell in the coming days as many loved the life of business many more would love the romance of the army. This -illusion as some would call it- was helped along by many prominent authors coming out with biographies on Austria-Hungarian soldiers and generals which romanticized war. (No publishers would accept Austrian soldiers that were pat of The Greater German Reich as it is still considered to be a national tragedy, having been incorporated into another nation and thus losing all nationality and independence). Even though he military was aught off guard it still was a formidable opponent, if not the best the best equipment or war it still had the best Austrian taxpayers could buy and then some. The new Ulan was seen in a favorable light, being fitted with some of the best infra-red and night vision abilities, several models popped out of the wood work including a light tank fitted with a 60 millimeter weapon, one with a 50 millimeter chain gun and several mini-cannons, a model with an anti-tank missile launcher, a anti-aircraft model, and a somewhat decadent but still happily burns everything in its path a napalm version with enough napalm to wipe out a lot of Yugoslavians.

The small Austrian navy (based off Sao Tome and Principe) had a total of 3,000 men to command their frigate, a submarine, and their transport craft. In the Mauritius there were 2,000 soldiers to keep order and another 805 devoted to keeping the Navy and Mauritius supplied (pen pushers, and cooks mainly).

Another contingent of airplanes and fighters administered by the service personnel already there are 100 pilots that mostly soak up sun at Sao Tome.

All in all there is about 14905 troops in the small colonies in Africa.

For the main portions, there is 20,877 airmen spread liberally throughout Liechtenstein and Austria. 250,000 NCOs, enlisted, and general grunts in the army who do a variety of things. Most of which operate the mainly mechanized Austrian Federacy Army. Finally there is around 75,000 men to administer these troops.

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The first order of the day was to somehow check the Yugoslavian advance towards Klagenfurt and Graz. To check the advance of the Yugoslavians already over the Dava river the 17th and 18th Mechanized Divisions were sent which compromised 5,000 men, 250 assorted Ulan IFVs (different variants) 200 trucks for supplying and transporting, local air support from the flyers at Inssbruck, a 3rd Artillery Recoilless which compromised of another 300 men and 30 light artillery pieces (105 milimeter). They advanced up to the Yugoslavian bridgeheads (the Dava river is still several kilometers inside the Austrian border and I would give the tentative answer that not all off the Yugoslavians have re-organized and have gotten over; 1st day marching, 2nd going over, 3rd day getting re-organized, 4th still getting more over) which were now to strong to effectively cut off and then proceeded to make a line half circle protecting Klagenfurt. After requesting additional artillery pieces the recoilless guns then made a hazard for the still bunched up Yugoslavians (Most units are unused -at best- to river crossings even with bridges, why I couldn’t fathom, just read that a lot in history books). The medium artillery across the river pounded away at the positions but the Ulan proved it’s worth by being able to move about the battle field with the -journalist quote- “big, and brave little cannons”. Having both sides to easily affect the others position the Austrian commander in charge of that little venture -Neuchatel Otto Truegen- dug in his position and fortified rings about the city of Klagenfurt.


While the (smaller?) of the two Yugoslavian attacks was blunted near Klagenfurt the (bigger?) one was heading owards Graz. Having overun so much so fast the 16th Armored Division had been caught outside a small town of Brunswick, south of Graz. In doing so they may have saved the day as what young man cannot resist the temptation to drink officers champagne (they overran the headquarters), jeer at prisoners, raise a couple Yugoslavian flags on tall buildings, get kissed by the Serbian minorities (and then some), and just generally discontinue the line of advance and give the officers a popped blood vessel or two (maybe three).So as the cheerful Serbian troops had a field day on the 2nd the Panthers were re-organizing and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Mechanized Divisions where sent south, or around 10,000 men in 100 Ulans, 500 lorries, and the last 4,000 split half and half between smaller recon vehicles and the other in multi-roll attack helicopters. The artillery attached would be the 1st and 2nd Artillery Recoilless which compromises of 600 men and 60 pieces. Supplies come from the 3rd Quartermasters which has 5,000 men and 500 trucks at it’s disposal. The 13th Armored is en route from being on leave the last month and will be fully re-organized at the end of the week. The 4th Infantry were sent to defend the town and immediately set about strengthening the fortifications and digging in the 1st AA (anti-air) battalion and 1st LA (Land to Air) battalion. As the now dubbed 1st army (the one defending Klugenfurt would be renamed the 2nd) advanced along they meet up with the re-organizing 16th and proceeded to occupy the countryside by establishing a blunted crescent shape which ended with a line going back round 10 kilometers.

Yugoslavia, having only coincidentally been better prepared for war than was its neighbour, is also in the position of having suffered intelligence failings, with YPA planners expecting to meet an enemy with at most a few tens of thousands of troops, a few dozen jetfighters, and maybe a couple of hundred armoured vehicles. Confronted by a divisional army, often in multi-divisional forces, Yugoslavia's brigades and regiments, while more flexible and mobile, are in some cases actually in danger of being out-gunned.

Still, better than expected early progress is cause for celebration, even if it appears likely that major pitched battles will have to be fought on a scale not often seen in modern times.

The western column, approaching Klagenfurt

Initially delighted to have crossed the Drava before a serious defence was mounted, Army General Milan Pupin soon suffered a funny turn and almost had to be treated by a doctor after his eletion was ripped-out by reports of Austrian 17th and 18th Mechanised Divisions moving towards his position with fifty thousand men. That was more than he expected to face in the entire campaign, and would require some beating!

The small town of Toppelsdorf on the rail line to Klagenfurt was occupied by a hesitant Army General who decided not to race the Austrians to Stein part way between there and Klagenfurt. A few mines were hastily emplaced on Pupin's left flank, which was otherwise somewhat exposed when he dispatched a newly arrived Army Trained Reserve infantry force west towards Villach, attaching an Artillery Regiment and an Air Defence Regiment from one of his main Brigades and furnishing it with enough trucks and UAZs for it to be considred a mechanised force.

This small force took BOV-3 self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery pieces and BOV-1 AT-3-carrying anti-tank vehicles, M-60P APCs including variants and some mounting two 82mm recoilless rifles, and a handful of SAVA- BVP M80A infantry combat vehicles converted to carry low-altitude surface to air missiles. In all it had some twelve-hundred men and hoped to threaten Villach, giving the lumbering Austrian divisions something to think about as they approached Pupin's main force.

At Toppelsdorf and on ground rising to the east, Pupin had AFRISAM batteries providing good air defence, and was placing-down triple-barrel 20mm guns meant for anti-aircraft work but possibly best employed to cut-down enemy troops and wreck light vehicles at a decent distance. He had 82mm and 120mm mortars plus 82mm mortars mobile on M60P APCs, and a good number of quick-tracking M87 Topaz 100mm anti-tank guns with laser rangefinding, and perhaps his best weapons, a battery of M-94 Plamen-S 128mm multiple-launch rocket artillery vehicles. Like other YPA formations further east, Pupin's Plamen-S was likely one of the native-Yugoslav weapons that most interested foreign observers- its rockets' 12.8km range was nothing to shout about, but all 32 of them could be loosed in hardly more than five seconds, representing a really deadly barrage, and then the vehicle could reload itself once automatically for another violent punch, with a quick displacement time and high mobility making it a survivable tool against counter-fire. The Austrians could expect to be showered with scores of small warheads as they approached, and would likely be frustrated to find their attackers moving within seconds of exposing themselves.

Still, with around 12,000 troops on this side of the river, even the enthusiastic and well-armed Yugoslavians were up against it with four-to-one odds.

Pupin's three hundred tanks -of which two hundred were M-84s and one hundred were modern derivatives with advanced armour and computerised fire control, not to mention possibly the best thermal imaging sights available- were held back a little. Some went under cover in trees and more often in local buildings in the small community, even if they had to knock-down a wall to do it, and others positioned themselves as mobile artillery platforms believing themselves safe from air attack under the watch of missile batteries and the Air Force assault on Klagenfurt and Graz airbases. Most waited in the rear, close to the river, waiting for the Austrian divisions to commit themselves.

The Eastern Column, south of Graz

Progress here was even more seriously enjoyed by the YPA, which, like Yugoslavia, didn't even exist a few years ago. It was pleasing to see Yugoslav minorities in Austria welcoming the troops, and the People's Army felt that the pan-Slavic dream was not just their own but one that infected the sleep of Slavs across Europe.

The approach of seventy five thousand Austrian forces seemed to indicate the possibility of a decision being made on the war's outcome at this early stage. If so large a force could be broken now, it may be more than little Austria can endure, but if it rolls back the Brigades of Army General Mihajilo Draganic the promise arisen in early advances will melt away with Yugoslav hopes of a cheap victory.

Many more reserve forces had reached Draganic than Pupin, and the forces south of Graz numbered 90,000, but their disposition was varied. 30,000 more reservists were moving up the railway, and were to be deployed to protect it. Ahead, Draganic's forces were dispersing with brigades on both banks of the Mur. On the one hand this may allow the Austrians to attack half of the brigades, but on the other it did present the possibility of half progressing with the river as a shield.

Generally, a large number of G-22 Orao along with smaller numbers of more modern fighters with onboard radar were being deployed to strike exposed targets of opportunity, but, in practice, mostly to attack helicopters, which they did with IR-guided missiles and, more often, their two dual-barrel 23mm cannon. Being able to fly two or three times faster than enemy helicopters, even if they did not detect a machine coming in they had a good chance of chasing it down on the way out and making sure that it never returned. At this stage, G-22 were widely used, with mediocre pilots, because they were not considered a major loss if shot-down- dozens had been taken out of service to be replaced by Super Orao, and only now brought back for the war.

The Yugoslavs had reasonable numbers of Mi-8 Hip and Mi-24 Hind helicopters from Bulgaria's forces which were employed in support of mechanised brigades.

G-23 Super Orao were now turning their attention to remaining radar sites in southern Austria, hoping to use their new Grom-B passive radar homing missiles to blind the enemy to aerial movements as soon as possible...
Aidarov wanted his Airborne Brigade deployed.
(I quite like this map (http://www.top100.mafia.ru/MAP/EARTH/COUNTRY/AUSTRIA/MAP%20-%20EARTH%20-%20COUNTRY%20-%20AUSTRIA%20-%20www.itlibitum.ru%20-%20003.jpg) though it isn't exactly up to date (we wish Czechoslovakia was still your northern neighbour!), though will be happy to see an more useful ones. It does look as if the Drava is in significant areas rather less than 30km from the Slovenian border, though!)

Toppelsdorf:

Neuchatel Otto Truegen continued to direct his forces to encircle the bridgeheads and if able to divide them up so that the artillery would have an easier time of shooting the -Neuchatel quote- "damntastic" self propelled rocket launchers. The Ulans kept showing their worth with only some problems stemming from overwork. Which no one payed to much mind to as that was a lot better than some other problems that showed up in vehicle designs.

Mainly the recoiless guns kept pounding away, nable to really destroy the other artillery or the bridgeheads but still happily obliged to making the Yugoslavians short time in Austria one filled with misery and hard feelings.

The infantry continued to dig in, prepared the air defenses and just sat around and if need be helped the quartermasters unload thir food. Many men took up marksmen ship as their long ranged weapons took a toll more on the moral of the Yugoslavians then really the casualties (which were few and far between).

Local air support continued to be flown over from the 15 Typhoon Eurofighters (one was shot down from a previous engagement while the other two where hit on the ground) located in Innsbruck and Vaduz (remember there is no Liechenstein, just New Switzerland). Some of the older Saab's were out and about with their modified General Electric motors and tried to stay away from the Yugoslavian airforce. They usually let the Eurofighters take care of the inadequate (well for that job) Slavic planes. The Austrian command directed that the bridgeheads not be destroyed, which technically probable would have forced the loss of many good aircraft and pilots.


Brunswick:

While holding down the advance within the city the Austrian tactical general was trying to figure out how to squeeze some more troops out. The helocopter fleet had been mostly shot down, 4 of the
8 Blackhawks allong with other transport craft, so now no major offensive operations could be meet with success as the Quartermasters were now using every lorrie at their disposal.

The ground pounders and artillery continued to dig in and zero in on the now heavily ruined city. Supplies were for the most part numerous if you were defending and they were doing that quite well indeed. The 16th was fully re-organized and now and went to reinforce the far-right line.

New Switzerland, long pledged to peace during wartime, has been caught between the stuggle of the two countries.
Austria, tied to Liechenstien before and until WWI, was under attack. Though the Swiss customs, money, and defense was used in Lichenstien, some form of the old tie remained. Liechensienien populace were uneasy about Austria's plight.
Investors, the people behind the banking system, were torn at first between making a say in the war. Reason caught on, and they decided one market or the other would have to get supremacy in order for economic processes to go on as they once had. They also saw a way to profit in the war if one side had a way to be indebted to them.
The Prime Minister, Macom Villinus, Secretary of Defence, Mr. Joseph O'Riley, and Major General, Gen. Will Mc'All unamimously agreed this was the best course of action. (Without their most prominent investors, the famed banking system would be the not-so-famed.) Also unamimously, they decided to aid Austria in the conflict.

All governmental accounts held by Yugoslavian investors were shut down, the money going to The Secretary of Defence and New Switzerland's ally, Austria.*

Gen. Mc'All also granted Austria acess to New Switzerland's airspace and airports. (There are no recorded airports in Liechenstien, but 65 total in Switzerland.) Mr. Joseph O'Riley and Gen. McAll also re-organized the situation of the Schweizer Luftwaffe (Swiss Airforce) for defensive purposes only. Fifeteen Euro-Fighters were purchased from the Swedes a time ago, and these were deployed to Austria to aid. Thirty more fighters were purchased for an undisclosed amount of money, and were deployed along the Swiss border to aid in defense.

The royalty, Birgit Munson, agreed to the poroposed plan as soon as the news arrived. She wanted to protect the interests of investors and intervened for private Yugoslavian investors who were going to get their accounts shut down.


*However, Yugoslavian accounts registered by private Yugoslavian individuals were left untouched, as per Queen Munson's proposal. Only the government accounts were closed. Thus, all private investors need not fear their accounts be in danger.

((OOC: Eh up, didn't know that Abream was still with us. Ah, anyway- does Sweden have Eurofighters?
I think possibly there's two or even three versions of Eurofighter in AMW, but maybe this isn't the place to discuss it.))

Still uninvolved in the Austro-Yugoslavian war, Britain is not slow in expressing concern over the wider implications.

Since the League's slaughter of thousands of Gibraltans in a chemical attack, polls suggest massive public sympathy for the Yugoslav cause -that of preventing Austrian participation in the Holy League- with most questioned saying that, when it comes to something of this magnitude, one can understand the better safe than sorry attitude of Belgrade.

But London is concerned that Swiss participation will cause Yugoslavia's otherwise likely victory to be delayed long enough for Austria to decide that it requires French or other HL aid, and will ultimately see Austria and Switzerland under the totalitarian domination of the League's murderous dictators, and will bring about genocide in the Balkans.

While continuing to respect Yugoslav non-alignment Britain's Admirality is, if you believe the rumours, preparing contingency plans for intervention either directly or by helping the unparalleled Yugoslav partisan tradition.

More practically, however, British diplomats in Switzerland and Belgrade are desperate to negotiate some alternative to the realisation of a nightmare. Needless to say, images of Gibraltar's civilian populace vanishing in a chemical inferno are made available to the Swiss, simply to remind them that whatever else happens they absolutely must not trust the Holy League. On the other hand, few can blame the Swiss for wanting to support Austria's defence, and hope to confirm with Belgrade that Austria will achieve self-determination after the war, provided that a constitutional amendment preculde membership -full or associate- with the Holy League.

The British are prepared to do almost anything to make sure that Austria and Switzerland not become part of the Holy League. Regime change in Austria seems the surest way to achieve this, and the most practical, but while Britian does not wish to see Yugoslavian domination of any unwilling people, it must be understood that Yugoslavian victory would be entirely preferable to one won with concessions to the League. Propaganda efforts try to indicate in Switzerland and Austria that British reconstruction aid will be forthcoming in Austria, and that London hopes to recognise an Austrian government backed by the Austrian people, but that Yugoslavia's action is a responsible one brought on by the League's desire to destroy, as demonstrated in Gibraltar and by the annexation of Portugal. There is an appeal to see the war as not one against Yugoslavian domination but against a government that would sell the people out to become kings.

If Yugoslavia should prevail with the destruction of Austrian and Swiss independence, then, sadly, so be it. If Switzerland and Austria should prevail without HL help, then so much the better. But if an Austrian victory is dependent upon the League, then any lengths will be taken to discourage or oppose it.

OOC:
The Swedes wouldn't touch the Eurifighter with a 10 foot barge pole sseing as they already have the perfectly good Gripen. as to why on earth Switzerland would be buying anything fighter wise recently i am confused, thier F-18s are pretty top of the range at the moment, but i suppose if the Swiss had delayed thier fighte rpurchases and had abandoned thier desire for light twin engine aircraft then the gripen might have had a chance of being selected.

OCC: Indeed, I don't see why the Swiss would go and buy the Eurofighter when they've already got perfectly adequate F-18s and still-useful F-5s...unless Abream wants to RP an EF-2000-based fighter force...eh, more of this somewhere else, I suppose. But they aren't Swedish, that much is certain.

IC:

Already convinced of Austria's intention to join the Holy League, and having already thrown down the glove against the whole League, more or less, Adirov's invasion recieves Mumbai's full blessing. While unable to do much about it from a physical standpoint, the MoD's puny force-projection capability already being used to the full, Mumbai quickly grants the Yugoslavs expanded Boxkite production rights.

Switzerland is, for better or worse, ignored, many Unioners being of the opinion that Yugoslavia can deal with any regional threat quite handily, including a league-aligned Switzerland. Austria had, reasons Mumbai, already decided to cast its lot with the League weeks before the Yugoslav invasion, so Adirov, if anything, accelerated the inevitable conflict and hit Vienna before it could recieve substantial aid, a sound course of action when all things are considered. Austria's alignment had already been decided long before the first YPA troops crossed the border.

[OOC: Given that Italy was introduced into the Holy League by Doomingsland, I'm assuming it still is Holy League until it gets a new player and he may decide otherwise. This has to be short, sorry.]

Vienna, Austria
The Yugoslavian invasion of Austria had been rather quickfooted and murderous, just as Spain's own offensive operations into Portugal and the Gibraltar had been. Furthermore, it compromised Phillip VII's strategy that Britain could not win on the continent without aid from a continental power. Should Austria be overrun by Yugoslavian troops this continental army would exist, and so Phillip's new orders were to delay and stop the Yugoslavian invasion anyway possible, and so he instructed his ambassador to Austria, in Vienna, to give Austria forewarning of Spanish military potential to their borders and in their skies. They were under the impression that Austria would take Holy League intervention, and he was sure that Spanish airpower could do much harm to the Yugoslavian offensive. He was even musing with the idea of putting conscript infantry division in Austria to provide even greater military support. That said, he wasn't at all prepared to waste his good divisions in such warfare, when they would be needed to repulse enemy strikes along the Western European coastline. Nevertheless, in two weeks he could put at least sixty thousand men in Austria, and a month later even more. Spanish airpower would help drag on the war.

And so the ambassador delivered his message to the busy Austrians:

Austria has found herself in a deplorable position, and we have no doubts that the offensive was orchestrated and funded by Britain to challenge the Holy League, and wipe out neutrals before they became Holy League. Spain, and no doubt the rest of the Holy League, is more than ready to come to Vienna's aid, should Austria wish. This includes heavy air power to destroy Yugoslavia's industrialisation and supply lines. We will make Yugoslavian soldiers starve on the front. This military might shall become available to you on first word.

The message was rather short, but it gave Spain's word. Already, two squadrons of Eurofighters, previously used during the invasion of Portugal, were moved to airfields near Florence, as well as two squadrons of F-18s, and one of Dassault-Mirage F.1s. In other words, well over seventy aircraft. Spain had begun to plead Paris to persuade Algiers to release their Lancaster bombers to Italy, as well, providing much needed heavy bombing support which would come in handy to simply pound the Yugoslavian offensive to a halt. Further talks had begun with Rome discussing the possibilities of basing three new Spanish infantry divisions in their country and wait for the Yugoslavian war to stall a bit before Spanish infantry began to raid their coastline. No doubt that countless Spanish soldiers would die, knowing that they had not been trained as well as they could have, but by that time Yugoslavia would be loosing the war and the British would be loosing their only ally on the continent. But all these ambitions were just that, and for now Spain focused on getting a good portion of her airpower to the area, crossing their fingers that trains coming from France were able to replace the lost air assets. Her better pilots would remain in Spain, of course, but the aircraft sent to Italy were not piloted by baffoons.

In short, Madrid was more than ready to throw her newfound leverage around, and she was sure that Paris would follow, throwing additional aerial weight over Austria, and maybe even sending the corps stationed in Barcelona to Austria herself. The Yugoslavians had thrown another ally into the Holy League's arms, and with Austria came Switzerland. It would also be yet another setback for Britain, would have to get to the Mediterranean before actually being able to do anything like supporting the invasion. That required defeating the massive Spanish and French fleets, which wisely stuck near the Spanish coast, where they could make full use of continental aerial power to pummel any adversaries. The war was found to be an advantage to Spain, knowing that the greater European consolidation they had the more chances they had to win this huge war. Ambassadors in Russia had already begun to persude their allies to throw weight into the Balkans, as well, knowing that the Russians were looking to reinstate imperial power in the area. The Yugoslavians had counted on a fast offensive, but Switzerland's sudden decision would stall them enough to give Spain time, as would newfound Spanish aerial potential.

The Galerna and the Mistral were already on their way to the Adriatic Sea. The two S-70 diesel/electric submarines would sink as many Yugoslavian convoys as possible, putting the Yugoslavian Army in an even tighter noose. Madrid was desperately looking for other ways to doom Yugoslavia even more, but despite what it had already found the situation still remained bleak, and war against Yugoslavia without having Austria and Switzerland providing most of the troops was unforeseeable and unacceptable. Nevertheless, Yugoslavia would most likely have to continue the offensive into Switzerland, now that it had created two enemies, not just one. Madrid felt that this miscalculation would cost Yugoslavia the war.

Spain's talk of Yugoslavia having pushed nations into the Holy League, while thoughtlessly calling Belgrade an ally of London, was an interesting thing. Yugoslav non-alignment meant that she saw to her own immediate defence -such as by attacking a border nation that was moving towards association with the SFRY's sworn Franco-Russian enemies- while barring use of her territory to any foreign power in pursuit of their own aims.

Treating Yugoslavia as part of the greater war would force a reassessment of the policy, and would at least lead to a Presidential decree that foreign forces could use Yugoslav soil for Yugoslav ends... and if they by coincidence matched the aims of those other powers that was an unavoidable fact of no particular significance to YPA doctrine or SFRY policy.

The Adriatic and the Bulgarian coastal areas of the Black Sea have begun to see an increase in YPA Navy activity, and the number of submarines in port -Yugoslavia has eleven, plus three midgets- has notably decreased. Fifteen corvettes and frigates, six patrol craft, two-dozen missile craft, thirty mine warfare vessels, several dozen helicopters, and thirty coastal artillery batteries attend to the SFRY's maritime defence needs. But, while this happens, an increasing volume of trade is conducted over-land -including some Middle Eastern petrochemicals- since the initiation of positive diplomatic relations with the neighbouring Ottoman Empire, and of course directly with Romania and Hungary.

Belgrade sought to contact the Holy League to state that Yugoslavia's neutrality would be maintained for so long as it was allowed, which means no allied forces on Yugoslav soil unless the government is forced to consider it necessary for Federal security. With a British battleship entering the eastern Mediterranean and Australasian forces waiting to follow, some aspects of Franco-Spanish confidence do slightly confuse Belgrade, however.

Both the League and the Swiss themselves are told that Swiss security is not of interest to Yugoslavia.

Austria

Attempts by the Austrians to use recoilless guns against the bridgeheads hadn't much impact- Yugoslavia had 82mm recoilless rifles of her own, but didn't even consider them a primary weapon since they were grossly out of date. Trying to get such weapons into range of Yugoslav positions put the Austrians under immediate fire from rockets and conventional guns beyond the range of recoilless guns, and wire-guided missiles closer in.

Likewise, snipers at long range attracted attention in kind, except that YPA snipers returned fire with 12.7mm M-93 Crna Strela and the 20mm RT-20 anti-material rifle. Most snipers were Glakatahn hunters, and Austrians trying to take a long-range pot-shot would be in serious danger of having their heads blown clean off from more than a mile away.

Kastus Vorobei, Federal Secretary for National Defence, a General during the Lavragerian War, had been expressing deep concern over the advance's stall so close to major objectives in Austria, fearing that it gave time for other forces to enter the war, but his fears were soon calmed by Austria's own hesitation to destroy bridgeheads or engage in more than what appeared to be a stand-offish bout of attrition warfare.

In the sky, Lav committed his fifteen L-19 (Su-30, knowing that they would be difficult to maintain in coming years) long-range air superiority fighters.

Dozens of J-22 and J-23 attackers continued to assault Austrian radar and airbases, the J-23s using anti-radiation Grom-B missiles while the less valuable J-22s took rockets, bombs, and guns to sources of ground-based opposition to their operations. But now A-50 Mainstay AEW&C (those brought from Lavrageria, and for which Aidarov still owed Russia a fair few rubles they'd never see) aircraft flying under escort by L-20 Putin fighters were helping to direct the L-19s against Austria's Eurofighters.

Alone, the Eurofighters almost certainly had an edge against the Russian fighters, but it was hoped that Yugoslavia's airborne control platforms helped things a little, and the L-19s were supported by L-20 fighters looking to swamp the Austrians. The Yugoslav L-20 fighters should not be underestimated- they are flown by pilots who benefit from a proper training programme with Lasta-3 basic, Super Galeb jet, and NL-20 conversion trainers, and they are fitted with long-range multi-target look-down shoot-down radar, HUD, HOTAS, and helmet-mounted sights for their Kormarac-A advanced short-range missiles. For now they carry South African R-Darter active radar guided missiles acquired in co-operation with ANP nations.

The Air Force was becoming much more aggressive in its attempt to destroy the smaller Austrian force, and it was accordingly starting to cost. Most losses so far were to J-22 Orao, but L-19 and L-20 were expected to take losses in destroying the remaining Eurofighters, which they had outnumbered fifteen to one.

Between the eastern and western thrusts

Bogged-down just short of Klagenfurt and Graz, the YPA seemed content to hold the large Austrian commitments: being peppered with recoilless rifles, snipers, and light vehicles that were all doing themselves as much harm as good, did not trouble the Yugoslavs on a strategic level, and the hesitation by both sides was finally answered in the arrival of large Army Trained Reserve forces, which had been almost as surprised as the Austrians by the start of fighting.

Army General Bojan Javoric, a Bosnian Serb with a harsh reputation won in YPA skirmishing with the Kosovo Liberation Army, took two brigades -one tank and one mechanised, both with integral artillery, air-defence, and anti-tank regiments- north between the two frontal positions. He crossed the Drava while still inside Slovenia, and advanced from a position many kilometres west of the Mur. In fact, his start-point inside Yugoslav borders put him already level with Klagenfurt, meaning that he was north of Austrian defenders facing General Pupin. Javoric began to advance from Steirmark (in which Draganic was engaging the Austrians south of Graz) into Karnten. Neuchatel Otto Truegen now had Pupin fighting him to the south, and Javoric trying to approach from the northeast.

Granted, Javoric had a relatively small force moving in, a little more than eight thousand men, but it was fully mechanised with infantry combat vehicles, battle tanks, self-propelled rocket and gun artillery and anti-tank missile vehicles, and surface to air missiles and guns on tracked and wheeled bases. Much larger forces were following, crossing the border west of the Mur and heading west, but they contained large straight-leg elements and were some hours behind Javoric himself. An infuriatingly self-confident and generally abrasive character, General Javoric even attempted to contact authorities in Klagenfurt to request their city's surrender before he'd actually arrived: after all, reasoned the gruff Serb, if Truegen was occupied to the south of the city, he might not be able to stop Javoric coming in to it from the north.

More of these reserves were pushed up to Brunswick to relieve elements who were tired of being shelled and make certain that the Austrian 1st, 2nd, and 3rd divisions remained occupied. These reserves however made use of the Mur river and the near by railway line from Maribor, Slovenia, to move troops and equipment up more quickly from the south, dropping hundreds of reservists along the way to guard the captrued tracks and conduct repairs should they be somehow attacked anyway.

Wow! World War Tag!

OOC: I thought an awesome picture of a Slovenian T-55 would be absolutely great to put up here. I scanned it in from a New Vanguard book on the T-54 and T-55 I have. Click here (http://pdfdirectory.modernwarstudies.net/images/russia/T55/Slovenian.jpg). And I will post after Austria, and after I get that TG from NG. :(]

With The Yugoslavian third force moving towards Klugenfurt a combined force of 47,000 Austrian Federacy troops moved out compromising of the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Mechanized which compromises of 40,000 troops transported in 2,000 Ulans and 1,000 lorries. The artillery attachments wee the 7th, 8th, and 1st Heavy Artillery Divisions that incorporated 150 155 mm PzH 2000 and 3600 men, the 4th and 5th Recoilless Artillery was attached using their 105 millimeter guns the 200 piece 2000 man grouping was considered some of the best. A new fangled contraption which took pointers from Quintonnia was the self-propelled 2nd and 3rd LA which used new GPS guided anti-jam missiles in an eight some (which was really like a foursome since rarely did all 8 ever go off at the same time if at all). The 2nd Panzerbattalion was put in for good measure -25 Leopards and 25 Dpkz Is- with their Leopard 2’s they were the latest in mobility, firepower, and armor with their L55 gun and German engineering. The people dedicated to supply the force was 1,400 men with 200 lorries and another 200 'appropiated' vehicles to do the job. These forces meet up with the far corners of Trugen’s forces on proceeded onto the Yugoslavian speck.


Toppelsdorf:
Trugen now directed reinforcements strongly to this area hoping to dislodge the Slavic horde. More 105 millimeters meet up with the smaller artillery units and were divided equally into two new divisions of the 3rd and 6th recoilless with 200 pieces and 2000 men. More heavy artillery was sent in the form of 90 155 mm PzH 2000 which was the whole of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Heavy Artillery Division(s) manned by 1080 men. Panzers were sent in the form of the 1st Panzerbattalion which numbered 50 Dpkz I’s* and 25 Leopard 2** tank force driven by 360 men. These troops were then directed to attack on the (Yugoslavian) right to divide the smaller force heading towards Klugenfurt and this bigger one. With a great rumbling of tanks and start up the scoot and shoot PzH 2000s proceeded to fire on all known battery positions which had been determined beforehand from the recoilless peppering.


Brunswick:
Once again, massive force was directed against the embattled Yugoslavians with the re-fitted 16th, newly arrived 13th, and the assorted Panzers numbering 150 smaller Austrian Dpkz I’s* with 100 Leopard 2**’s. That with the 13th Heavy Artillery Division included 30 155 mm PzH 2000 and 100 105 millimeters made the army a formidable foe indeed. Those forces were to circle over to the (Yugoslavian) right and divide the small force from the even larger one and if possible to encircle the Yugoslavian bridgeheads.

Airspace:
New batches of Eurofighters were made under a plan to reverse engineer them by the joint Stille Incorporated and The Gizatte Company venture. The 20 new fighters were sent to Inssbruck where over the course of the week 4 were shot down, one damaged, and one much less so but still unable to fly. The 15 Eurofighters Austria possessed at the beginning of the year were sent to Graz were later 2 were sot down, one damaged, and one minor scratches. Later another was shot down around the time the Swiss pledged support making the count of Eurofighters at Graz 27.


Austrian Stock Exchange and Economy:
IPOs were high for electronic companies, military hardware, and military suppliers. This sparked the newly remade (and renamed) Federacy Index of Austria to gain substantial gains. This then caused consumer confidence to increase slightly more to make it peak at a 20 year high, Stille Incorporated with The Gizatte Company continued to happily make as many Ulans, Eurofighters, 2A4s, and with Austrian Motor Works the Dpkz I*. Along with that were two German companies which switched over to the FIA* (Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH, and newly spun off Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohmand. Overall jobs were up, unemployment down, more money everywhere including the government which had treated unemployed people to a monthly stipend, and the new Monarch –Maxen von Bismarck- was content to stay a Chancellor with a new name and so forth the gloom and doom prospects of Britain never quite reached the decision stage with all the 401k plans.

Diplomacy:
In a speech concerning where the world was heading Maxen von Bismarck affirmed that anyone who says the Yugoslavian attack was to stave off an Austrian one is as the best faulty. As he continued he once again reminded them of the Czech Republic’s and Austria’s tensions the year before. Another topic was –if anyone cared to examine it again- Austria’s uncertain and hesitant stance with the Holy League which went as far as keeping Monarchs out. The final conclusion concluded with this statement “if we were edging towards The Holy League before you can know for sure we’re running now!”

• Article in The Independent on Austria’s homegrown tank, and new corporations up by Tuesday (or Monday).
• The 2A4 model.

PS: Will be gone for the weekend, so hope to get back here by Monday.

OOC: Heh, thanks for that, Mac. Territorial Defence Forces and some Army Trained Reserve elements do indeed have a substantial number of T-55 upgrades in service, mostly from Bulgarian stocks upgraded in Slovenia.

Austria- the light third force under Javoric isn't going towards Graz, but sweeping in on the north of Klagenfurt, which means north of the Toppelsdorf defenders, to pin Trugen between Pupin and Javoric. Reserves moving more slowly behind Javoric should arrive to intercept the massive new reinforcements coming down before they ever get to Trugen.

((Armand!!!!))

OOC: I know, I know Jean! But I have Finals!

IC: The Austrian government is informed that no Russian aid will come until Austria officially declares itself part of the Holy League.

OOC: Heh, thanks for that, Mac. Territorial Defence Forces and some Army Trained Reserve elements do indeed have a substantial number of T-55 upgrades in service, mostly from Bulgarian stocks upgraded in Slovenia.

Austria- the light third force under Javoric isn't going towards Graz, but sweeping in on the north of Klagenfurt, which means north of the Toppelsdorf defenders, to pin Trugen between Pupin and Javoric. Reserves moving more slowly behind Javoric should arrive to intercept the massive new reinforcements coming down before they ever get to Trugen.

Oops, sorry, I will change it. For my military; the main reason for people not to have reversed making Eurofighters and Leopard tanks with the heavy artillery is because of patent rights. Yes, that lame, patent rights keep most modern nations from making other nations vehicles. That is for RL Modern Day, in AMW who is going to stop Austria? NATO? EU? The Holy League? Exactly, pretty lame. Now for my troops I may have mechanized a touch to many of my units, Ulans have only been in production for about a month or so but the percentage of troops -10%- is only exeptional if you compare it to European countries. Others have much higher (example: Israel among other Middle East countries).

IC:

In a speech today, the Chancellor Maxen told the gatherd peoples that Austria now considered herself part of The Holy League and went on to tell the goals and aims of the new Holy League Austria which pretty much followed the Leagues aims. Also, he went on to speak highly of the League and its partcipants while once again re-affirming that the Yugoslavian offensive was uneeded at best.

Shiny new OOC Thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=11143600#post11143600)


(Back soon)

The Southern Confederacy would like to remind all involved in this war that the Confederacy is a neutral power and is not aligned with anybody.

Toppelsdorf Front

Behind Pupin's engaged force, engineers were attempting to expand the ability of the YPA to cross the river by erecting temporary bridges to support the preexisting Austrian crossing point. The Yugoslavs were happy with their air cover, as superior numbers of modern fighters and substantial missile and flak defences kept them from suffering much from above, but complaints were filtering back to Belgrade about the weight of air support on the attack: the Yugoslavs felt that they were in a position to win the air war, but that they were not able to exploit it, as just sixty modern dedicated attack jets in the entire air force were supported by primitive radarless J-22 Orao and G4M Super Galeb that also were needed back home for lead-in training. One felt that the Yugoslav Air Force was causing more problems for Austrian ground forces than was the case in reverse, but it was far from a war-winning assault that came out of the southern skies.

Javoric's flanking force, seeing heavy reinforcements coming down from the north with Leopard IIs -tanks which his baseline M-84s couldn't match in most conditions- aborted his drive against Klagenfurt's northeast and instead swung east to support Draganic south of Graz, who himself was facing difficult odds.

Pupin attempted to steel his vanguard units, under fire from Austrian artillery and upset by word of Javoric's failure to encircle Trugen, saying that friendly artillery was arriving on the south bank of the river to give counter-fire.

YPA ATR soldiers take part in counter-battery fire with 152mm Nora-C artillery (http://naoruzanje.paracin.co.yu/nora2.jpg).

Actually, before long, Pupin's vanguard was becoming a rearguard as the YPA brigades here began to fall back over the expanded bridge facilities, covered by the air force and a gradually intensifying artillery counter fire.

BOV-3 SPAAAGs defend against air and ground assault as YPA forces head back across the river (http://www.aeronautics.ru/img001/yugobov3.jpg).

In the air, YPA losses had been suffered in taking down Eurofighters, with an Su-30, three L-20s, and three more Orao and Super Orao attack fighters lost to enemy fire. A Dhruv (copy) helicopter also crashed during a day of heavy Yugoslavian operations. However, the YPA-AF felt that it was on top of things, and as war production increased in Bosnia, Slovenia, Serbia, and Bulgaria in particular, military exports to Africa continued along side new and profitable exchanges with South America's socialist power went on regardless of the conflict.

The situation in the Strait of Gibraltar was a concern, but alternate trade lines seemed secure, and Belgrade chose today to announce a new deal with the Ottoman Empire, ensuring that in addition to recent over-land commerce agreements, both civil and military vessels from the YPA could now transit the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara, meaning that Eastern and Western commands could support one another and trade could be conducted in the relatively safe eastern Mediterranean, where Yugoslav, Ottoman, Libyan, and British ships could be considered quite friendly. Though slightly inferior to Eurofighter (and superior to most fighters short of that), the L-20 was showing its worth as a smaller and cheaper machine that came off Yugoslav production lines at a significant rate, while the Austrians wouldn't be able to do the same with Eurofighter.

L-20 Putin represented in flight and fully armed (http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/Dzole/YUSupersonik1.jpg)

(And, since Serbia and Montenegro lost to the Netherlands, I'm supporting the Czechs, today. Come on, 3-0! Take that, Quinntonia! ;) Oh, it's over!)

Versailles

King Louis-Auguste is elated when informed that Austria has joined the Holy League, and proclaims victory in this 'war against evil' that much closer. French advisors soon arrive in Vienna, eager to point out the Austrians should not only stage a defensive, but be prepared for a massive counter-attack.

After all, the Tsar has been heard rumbling. With Wingerts support, a second front could be opened up against Belgrade and the foul Aidarov.

Switzerland is lauded for her brave stance as well.

Versailles soon begins planning any way to make some sort of attack against Aidarov and his decrepit, and several options are placed on the table...

Several Vagabond series satellites watched overheat streaming digital media, as they did they put them selves into Geo-Syncronis orbit while watching. The information was being sent to commanders and other high ranking personelle at fort St. Conrad in Asperitas.

The satellites several miles overheat just watched....

King Louis-Auguste is elated when informed that Austria has joined the Holy League, and proclaims victory in this 'war against evil' that much closer. French advisors soon arrive in Vienna, eager to point out the Austrians should not only stage a defensive, but be prepared for a massive counter-attack.

Sadly, Austria is for the most part happy to wage a defensive war is is mostly unable to mount any real offensive actions beyond trying to trap the third contigent. Instead we hope for more of your troops to defend the only central Europe outpost of The Holy League (and the best place to launch an invasion of Yugoslavia;) )


QUOTE=Asperitas]Several Vagabond series satellites watched overheat streaming digital media, as they did they put them selves into Geo-Syncronis orbit while watching. The information was being sent to commanders and other high ranking personelle at fort St. Conrad in Asperitas.

The satellites several miles overheat just watched....[/QUOTE]

This thread is about as open as the Berlin Wall was during the Cold War, to join please visit this thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=455144).

If only Switzerland put forth their mechanization, the defense would have a much easier time.

With the other forces heading towards Graz Trugen made a break for the bridgeheads with the 1st panzerbattalion and the 17th and 18th mechanized which was down from 5,000 to a general force of just 4,000. He took some recoiless guns along for the ride, really just let whoever wanted to come join up; which was very much the way he conducted war. So with the still fresh 1st panzerbattalion and the mechanized forces with 65 additional 105 milimeter recoiless guns he charges ahead hoping to catch the Yugoslavians off guard.

Graz

The 47,000 corp now linked up with Otto's forces who was now shifting his forces from a blunted cresent to a L shaped formation. The long end faced the slavs while the shorter was facing towards the east, the western flank was now protected and melded with the advancing 3rd army who was trying to sweep up the Yugoslavians heading towards Graz at the same time trying to shield the 2nd army -under Trugen- from the YPA.

In the west, Pupin's force was hurridly melting back over the river and defending from the southern banks, the rear guard beating a fighting retreat across the bridges as Trugen's force pressed them. From the south, several batteries of 152mm guns provided cover from beyond the range of anything less than the Austrian's 155mm weapons, against which Hind-like ADV helicopters and Orao attack jets protected where necessary.

Javoric's mobile force in the middle was prepared to engage Austrian forces south of Graz, hitting their right (west) regardless of whether or not they were prepared for it, or even whether he could dislodge them. For now it was enough to occupy any forces that may try to move south between the two main YPA forces. Draganic continued to rotate his forces as thousands of Yugoslavian troops came up the railway and easily replaced combat losses.

The eastern arm almost seemed to be prepared to fight a war of attrition, just sitting still while Otto and his reinforcements banged their heads against the sprawling Yugoslav front.

Finally, though, General-Armije Plamen Stojakovic was pushed forward, coming from Dravograd, Slovenia with a huge mostly straight-leg force that had taken until now to muster and deploy forward. With Javoric's small force a couple of dozen kilometres north of them engaging the enemy the idea was that Austria had no immediate way to engage Stojakovic. Pressing against the Drava across which Pupin was retreating, Trugen would have the guarded river to his south and Stojakovic coming down on him from the northeast.

Along the way, Stojakovic left some artillery -mostly towed 122mm guns- to shell Wolfsberg and induce the town to surrender, confident that Javoric and Draganic had it covered to the northeast.

Stojakovic, with tens of thousands of YPA soldiers, was moving to take Trugen out of the war and capture Klagenfurt while Pupin's retreat drew the Austrian to the banks of the river against which his force would be crushed.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/Chivtv/NS1/yugautwar.jpg
Map shows Pupin's force drawing up on the south bank of the Drava as Trugen advances towards the bridges, Stojakovic's drive against his read; Javoric's small force running into vaguely represented Austrian forces (3rd army?) brought down to save Graz from Draganic's large forces aligned opposite Otto (I haven't indicated the direciton of the Austrian reinforcements but it seems plain enough that they were headed south when Javoric switched and ran into them). I know that I have not put the Austrians in formation, but was just trying to represent roughly where different forces are engaging. Javoric is only really serving to keep Austrian reinforcements from moving into Stojakovic's rear so that they can't cover Trugen, and at the moment it looks as if Javoric might have to sacrifice his force to achieve that as Draganic is mostly on the other side of the Mur. I wanted to post that in order to clarify YPA forces which may be confusing as a barrage of new Slavic-ish names, and to see if I've missed major Austrian movements. Thanks to BG for the hosting (though it's free so not too big a thanks :) )

Prime Minister Armand dialed the Executive Office of Mr. Aidarov, ready to negotiate a possible deal in regards to Austria and other territories in the region.

Prime Minister Armand dialed the Executive Office of Mr. Aidarov, ready to negotiate a possible deal in regards to Austria and other territories in the region. A specific plan would be offered to Aidarov, whereupon he would halt his invasion of Austria, and instead be given Russian support for potential invasions of Greece, Slovakia, or any other territorial posession. Additionally, a non-agression pact between Yugoslavia and the Holy Leage would be floated.

Larionko Aidarov would not be the first person to trust the Holy League, there's no denying that. But non-aggression is, somewhat ironically, what he wanted out of the war on Austria. Belgrade's sole intention by the invasion was to make sure that Austria would never be used as a launchpad for operations against the Socialist Federal Republic.

Lav does fear that deception by Admand may ruin his campaign in Austria, but he does not really fear defeat on Yugoslav soil. Now, Britain and Australasia, the United African Republics, both Indian powers, all are at war with the League, and other powers are close to joining, then there is the issue of a possible coup in Depkazia, and Yugoslavia has forces and treaties enough to make its conquest a forbidding prospect from the League's point of view. The President is cautiously prepared to negotiate with Russia's second most prominent man.

Miroslava Goranov, sister of Bojan Javoric, a noted Bosnian-Serb member of Aidarov's government, and herself a spirited character with a reputation bordering on infamy for her well-reported domination of her Bulgarian husband, Andrija, and numerous violent public outbursts, has been sent to Moscow aboard a licence-built Boxkite configured for diplomatic transport.

Miroslava would probably be quite attractive if she did not usually appear to be both able and quite willing to crush the viewer's head, or some part of his anatomy, possibly with her stern gaze and school-ma'am tone even before her ropey arms and Croatian bodyguards came into the picture. Foreign intelligence agencies would as yet have limited information on this young woman, but preliminary investigations would quite easily uncover unproven rumour of serious criminality in her family's rise.

In Moscow, this Bosnian-Serb who married a Bulgarian would identify herself, proudly, as Yugoslav before anything else. The number of Balkan people who chose to do so was climbing every month. She made it sound as if the idea of her Bosnian homeland leaving the SFRY was no more likely than Wales declaring war on England, or Brittany turning against Paris.

Goranov would carry Aidarov's words and policies. Yugoslavia wasn't yet prepared to halt operations in Austria: strategic objectives were hours and minutes away from being taken, and to halt for anything short of certain gain would be a grave error "of the sort rarely seen since the Germanic people of sixty years since resolved to attack Slavic Russia" (as put in a carefully chosen example!). But diplomacy was important to the South Slavs.

Reportedly, Aidarov felt that, with probably two and a half billion Asians ready to attack the Russian Empire and the old British Empire almost back from the dead in an Anglo-Australian alliance in the Atlantic, the Depkazi coup was symptomatic of an illness that would prevent full League vigour from being directed against a Yugoslavia already in an advanced stage of mobilisation.

Miroslava's bodyguards would be tall Croats, armed with the latest Yugoslav-built firearms and wearing helmets with a red star on their front in an attempt to show something of the SFRY's self sufficiency at least in contrast with little Lavrageria, which was of significance at least in Lav's mind.

Yugoslavia, the diplomat would say on Aidarov's behalf, wanted only to be sure that it was not to face similar problems to those forced upon Lavrageria, and had no standing territorial ambition in relation to mostly non-Slavic Austria. Stopping the war there was at least a possibility.

Yugoslavia's neutrality, perceived -because of its socialism- as leaning towards the so-called progressives, was, the diplomat says, true neutrality, and did not preclude peace with the League.

In order for a YPA withdrawal to be affected in Austria, Belgrade needed assurance that non-Austrian HL forces would not be based there, or elsewhere on Yugoslavia's borders, and that Austria would shape its own military forces to defence rather than mobile offence (there was, notably, no specific demand to limit the size of Austria's forces).

Yugoslavia hoped to pull-out, and to secure a non-aggression pact, but Aidarov wanted concessions for Lavrageria, too!

He said that, in order to slightly diffuse long-standing tensions there, cheap Russian and French staple foods (this is because of France's traditional position as western Europe's largest cereal producer, and Russia's similar standing in Eastern Europe) be shipped in to the Republic at a subsidised cost so as to, "avert chronic malnutrition and lessen desperate tension felt in the semi-nomadic community, such as which may otherwise lead to generations of conflict and may spawn Europe's intifada".

Aidarov also suggested that Russia help Yugoslavia to build missile defences based on S-300 or S-400 technology. This would mean that there was no need to buy Indian Soviet missile systems, lessening Belgrade's links to Portmeirion.

Overview

Goranov conveys Aidarov's proposals, including demands and concessions:

*Yugoslavia to withdraw forces from Austria, both nations plus Switzerland declaring and end to hostilities.

*The Socialist Federal Republic and the Holy League to sign a non-aggression treaty.

*Austria to host no major extra-national HL military forces.

*Austria's military to be restructured until mutually agreed a defensive and/or light expeditionary organisation and not one capable of serious sustained offensive operations against the SFR Yugoslavia.

*The Lavragerian Republic to receive cheap staple foods from HL nations.

*The Lavragerian Republic to stand-down large cavalry and light-infantry forces once in receipt of food supplies.

*General Tumin Kalmakoff to be released from captivity and sent to Yugoslavia.

*Russia to aid Yugoslavia in the production or acquisition of high-level anti-aircraft/anti-ballistic-missile surface-to-air missiles to complete the air defence grid.

*Yugoslavia to agree never to develop or acquire strategic bomber aircraft nor strategic ballistic missiles.

*Yugoslavia to agree never to develop or acquire battleships nor aircraft carriers for its naval forces.

*Yugoslav neutrality to be respected, and no Holy League military forces to set-foot on Yugoslav soil nor fly in Yugoslav airspace nor sail on or under Yugoslav waters without prior agreement by uncoerced government of the SFRY.

*Yugoslavia to agree never to pursue development nor aquisition of thermonuclear nor other megaton-range nuclear weapons.

*Romania to be respected as a neutral and uninvolved party able to conduct its own affairs in trade and diplomacy with both HL and SFRY nations.

*Russia to support Yugoslav operations against Albanian destabilisation efforts, to whatever end this may reach.

The last provision was a thinly disguised reference to Belgrade's desire for the annexation of Albania, which Lav's wisdom suggested ought to have happened after the Balkan Wars that drove the Ottoman Empire from Albania (the nation was at one point supposed to have been divided between Serbia and Greece before the ridiculous League of Nations stepped in and created a mess). While Lav would like to rule nations such as Greece and Slovakia, the former he considers strong enough to hurt Yugoslavia and the Holy League in a war (it would cost billions of dollars and thousands of lives to subdue the Greeks), while the latter would be split from Yugoslavia by the non-Slavic wedge that is Hungary. Albania, on the other hand, is weak, has irked Belgrade, and is in a strategic location on the Strait of Otranto.

In the end, Lav's position is that as an enemy, Yugoslavia can ruin Austria for the League, but as a friend or neutral it is absolutely no threat, and allows the Austrian economy to integrate with the HL. The SFRY is never going to adopt a state faith or appoint a monarch, but it is prepared at least to call-back hundreds of thousand of troops and give-up plans to buy strategic-level weapons from anti-League powers.

(OOC: Sorry that this post went on for so long. I wanted to introduce that angry young lady because she may, so long as she doesn't get killed in Russia, be moderately significant in Yugoslavia's future. As you may have guessed, I totally suck at writing for women, so she's a real iron-maiden :) )

The Quinntonian government is taking a very keen interest in this conflict.

WWJD
Amen.

Versailles sends warm it not outright hot signals to Moscow, again congratulating the Tsar's PM's diplomacy.

It was stunning that 'Lav' would neogitate, Louis-Auguste hadnt figured him for the subtle type, but the politician increasingly gave evidence of it. To Versailles, fighting a major war on seas and a larger one in the African West, the secret proposal sounded like a thousand pound rolling honey balm.

Finally, though, General-Armije Plamen Stojakovic.....

.....straight-leg force......

Stojakovic, with tens of thousands of YPA soldiers, was moving to take Trugen out of the war and capture Klagenfurt while Pupin's retreat drew the Austrian to the banks of the river against which his force would be crushed.


Under the pompous command of Alfred Ludendorf the now dubbed 4th army was launched from the north side of Wolfensburg. Using the 8th and 7th fresh out of the airline containers are the first Leopard 2E's to see service with some nicely modified Dpkz I's.
Which instead of a light 80 milimeter it is increased to 120 milimeters and megajoules up to 14 (from a low of 9). Armor protection is up, able to stop (in mm of RHAe) at the turret 500, and at the Glacis and lower frunt hull 300. Improvements on bith fronts.
So combining 100 Leopard 2Es and another 50 Dpkz I's, these were boosted by some 105 recoliess and 10 Pwk 2000 recoiless. The 12th Mechanized leapted for the chance of attacking and with some Ulans and "appropiated" vehicles they and all of their 2500 men attacked for the supply lines of the marching force.

OOC: Being a straight legged force how much armor would you have, and just for the record, who makes the Eurofighter? Anyhow, Austria - unofficially mind you - is becoming more and more worried about The Holy League's competence, the only thing to date which The Holy League says it promised has been around 200 Leopard 2Es and the Russians to settle a humiliating peace treaty onto the Austrians. A case of "really, you shouldn't have" - which usually implies the person giving actually gave something which the other party in some way felt emotional or other such happiness at accepting the gift -. So Austria is now looking for ways to edge itself out of The Holy League as it becomes more and more clear that more than one power is promising more.... tangiable benifits.

So really Chancellor Maxen is becoming Chancellor Maxen - again - and while not officially rebuking The League Austria is looking for more nation to nation alliances than one massive morass of interconnected nations that The Holy League could turn into.

Footnote: Could you make a thread for the express purpose of Austria buying Typhoon Fighters and other such diplomacy involving Walmington and Austria?

OOC: and just for the record, who makes the Eurofighter?

((Raises hand, BAe Typhoon, here.))

(Look at "Footnote")

((OOC: You're in the Holy League, we're at war with the Holy League, can't really say more than that!))

((OOC: You're in the Holy League, we're at war with the Holy League, can't really say more than that!))

Look a little bit above the footnote.....

[OOC: Spain produces her own Eurofighters, as does most likely nations that had major relations with the project and put money into it.]

OOC: Moorington, I never agreed to that peace treaty. It's absurd and humiliating, and don't worry, the League does stand by you. I just have to wait for Wingert to give me the order and I'll start negotiating things more in favor of you.

Who knows, you might get some territory out of this...

Team of Chinese diplomats makes a dash to both Yugoslavia and Austria after observing Russian negotiation teams with Aidarov.

It is hope that a Chinese offer of mediation between the two Balkan powers will reduce the likelihood of Russia playing them off against each other and the mere hint of Chinese involvement is likely to throw a spanner into Russian plans.

Raleigh, Australasia

Foreign Minister Christina Lloyd, pink hair, fedora, pantsuit and all had just arrived back from the failed conference in Wellington when she found a memo on her desk appraising her of the current situation. Her first word was an obscenity, her next few were shouted to her private secretary, and were on the order of,

"Dan, ask Andrew ((PM Strathairn)) if I can borrow his plane again!" She sat down at her desk a moment later, dislodging a sheaf of papers about the something crisis in somewhere from a year or two ago and hastily tapped out a message on her Remington typewriter.

((OOC: Christina doesn't know anything about the peace treaty you sought, since it was 'secret'. Hence, she's doing her job in letting you know the options/trying to find an invasion corridor.))


Your nation stands much to gain in the next few weeks. I'm sure you have noticed the presence of the Australasian Island Fleet in the Mediterranean. The Island Fleet is accompanied by large numbers of ground forces, the best in our military. They are equipped with thanks on par with the Leopard 2E and have air support from the carriers in the fleet. We are at war with the Holy League, and to put it bluntly are intent upon their destruction.

Great Walmington, our ally in the West, may be planning an invasion of his own into France. Russia's future is uncertain as well, since many Asian allies of ours also consider military action. A third point of entry would give our forces that much more in terms of fracturing the Holy League's power.

You have no doubt heard our government's position on the Holy League, about which we have been most vocal. What you have not heard is that in return for allowing Australasian forces to use Yugoslavia as a staging point, you may be assured territorial gains in the event of victory. You would be the Portugal to our Wellington, or the South Korea to our USQ. This could be the dawn of a great alliance of equals, rather than an enslavement at the hands of the League. I urge you to accept military assistance from us and others.

Rt. Hon. Christina Lloyd, Foreign Minister, Australasia.

OOC: Yes, to have an in-effective fighting force and never being able to get Tranyslvannia from Romania is not something Austria can handle without losing a part of its sanity. My IC is coming up, just getting some telegrams off...

IC:

In a speech today Maxen told the assorted officers of the press that Autria, in light of new Austrialsia help for the Yugoslavians is now looking forward to Quintonnian help from Germany and maybe directly so.

After working around the subject of The Holy League, which Maxen is usually so happy to flaunt around to the assorted press, a press officer asked the Chancellor-Monarch, who know one quite knows if he is either or both-

"Sir, Quintonnia has never been a supporter of The League, and is suddenly helping one of it's members?"

"Sadly," the Chancellor replied, "it's not helping a member of The Holy League."

"Quintonnia is not helping Austria?" The perplexed journalist asked.

Another journalist, understanding the not said words, screeched out, "Have you told Russia!"

"That is for me to know and you to find out," Maxen replied, "regardless....


He went on to say that Spanish-Austrian relations, he hopes, will be as good as ever and thanks the Spainish for the Leopard's. Switzerland was given a nod, and hopes for it's forces to help out Austria, a minor footnote for his closing subject was the boosting of Austrian forces on the Mauritas from 2,000 personnel up to 5,000 which includes 20 Leopard's from Spain, 40 of the older 80 and 100 milimeter models of the Dpkz (240 men), a shipment of ultra-heavy 250 millimeter shore cannons (5) and people to man them (50 men) and 2400 "newbies" fresh from the recruitment offices. 10 men are on leave and/or unable to travel.

Belgrade treats its Chinese guests like kings, putting them up in the old fortified town of Petrovaradin, Vojvodina, where Aidarov spends much of his time, and making sure that state media captures plenty of high-profile images of the Chinese diplomats in the company of high-ranking government and military figures. The guests are given places of honour in watching YPA parades as the military moves more forces to the Austrian front.

Ex-Depkazi MiG-29s repainted in Yugoslav colours over-fly not long after domestic UAVs on pre-programmed courses. M-95 Degman main battle tanks indicate an ability to match Austrian or League firepower on the ground, hundreds of thousands of soldiers are on the move as Lav runs short on patience with the Austrian campaign and the enemy's ability to repeatedly find new units just in time to thwart plans for crushing victory.

Pictures of Australasian warships also feature on the news, though the Socialist Federal Republic still has not allowed foreign forces to enter its territory, and the movement of Chinese forces and violence in Depkazia suddenly become news in the Balkans. Meanwhile, Yugoslav warships are observed moving through the Ottoman-controlled Bosporus, linking Black Sea and Adriatic fleets and coasts, and enabling cross-Mediterranean trade to be conducted out of range of Franco-Spanish forces in Italy and the west.

Belgrade's own diplomats begin to inquire after Chinese defence technologies, interested in help to begin domestic production of active-radar-guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles for MiG-29 and Putin fighters, and both air and ship launched anti-ship missiles to replace the navy's SS-N-2C Styx. The Yugoslavs also try to impress the Chinese with their own weapons, such as the Bumbar anti-tank missile, Munja engineering vehicle, and Plamen-S MLRS, but have limited hopes of making major sales.

Generally, Yugoslavia is making the interest of Australasian and Chinese governments as public as possible, keen to remind the Russians that the Federal Republic does have a strong position and that it is not through lack of options that Belgrade denies potential allies access to the continent, and to discourage Germany and Quinntonia from siding against the nation. Waiting for diplomatic progress, the SFRY totters on the brink of a policy change that would allow anti-League forces to land in Yugoslavia and sweep into Austria, Switzerland, Italy...

(OOC: Combat response later.)

Austrian posturing doesn't much bother Mumbai or Vice Admiral Garvaun Fauji, in command of the Union squadron sent to seize Austrian-occupied Mauritius. A quick look at a map should demonstrate to the Austrian chancellor that he doesn't exactly have any way to get his reinforcements to his colony, with Union corvettes and submarines waiting just outside the Bab el Mandeb to send a few Sea Eagles into the side of anything that looks even remotely unfriendly, and Lusakan, Strathdonian, and Bedgellen patrols in control of the waters around the Cape of Good Hope. It still confuses many Unioners that landlocked Austria even bothered with a colony, the likes of which even Madagascar could have taken away if it tried, but then again absolute rulers aren't necessarily apt to be logical.

Parliament sends a communique to Vienna, promising that Austrian troops will be given safe passage home should the Austrian government repudiate all claims to the islands making up Mauritius and colonial ambitions as a whole, and pay reparations. Mumbai doesn't doubt its ability to win, with an aircraft carrier plus escorts and some 2,000 marines at its disposal. If the Austrians decide to fight for it, and the MoD considers this likely, all the better, since it will rob Vienna of manpower doubtless sorely needed for operations closer to home.

Mumbai also sends a communique to Beijing, asking if China would be prepared to take action upon a Russian attack made against Yugoslavia. The communique goes further to commit troops, albeit very few, should this indeed occur.

Yugoslavia continues to be praised as continental Europe's last bastion of democracy, and even though not much real help comes through, Belgrade continues to recieve the occasional subsidy from Mumbai's foreign aid chest. A military assistance package for the quite helpful Ottoman Empire is also discussed, although logistical difficulties keep it in the realm of the unlikely.

Gen. Will Mc'Alll supervised the organizing of the Schwiezer Luftwaffe and the distrubution of the ground troops. Papers and maps were strewn wildly about his large conference table, but he knew the exact place where every one was, and knew the exact contents of each.

The armed forces numbered 150,000-.02 of the population (numbers included Lichenstien's) These were broken into two groups. One went to Graz, to aid the Austrian forces, and the other was spent fortifying the Swiss border.*

The Schwiezer Luftwaffe consisted of:
33 F/A Hornet's
85 Tiger F-5F's
16 Transport PC-6's**
And am purchasing an order of 30 PC-12's
and 50 F-18 stike fighters, 25 now, 25 later

And helicopters, used for attack support roles:
15 Super Puma
70 Alouette III
(Keep in mind 30 Eurofighters remain on border patrol, 15 in Austria)





*This was the time that the border defenders got out their big, shiny guns and polished them, dug trenches, strung barbed wire and placed tank-mines. They gambled afterwards.
**Holding 10 passengers each


OOC:
Switzerland gets a nod...
Your gratitude overwhelms me.

Many military observers will notice a massive build-up of air power, especially equipped with the latest in stealth technology, including Stealth B-2 Bombers. F-22 Raptors, etc., in Quinntonia’s German base. This will represent a large portion of the Quinntonian Air Force and is being brought in very, very publicly, in some cases inviting news crews to film the landings of the many planes as the build up continues.
Ramstein is put on highest alert, and major security precautions are put in place while this is ongoing.

The Quinntonian government announces that is prepared to offer arms and war supplies to both Austria and Switzerland for the duration of the conflict against the naked aggression of Yugoslavia.

The Quinntonian embassy in Yugoslavia attempts to make contact with Lav in order that the Quinntonian ambassador may speak with him and outline the Quinntonian position in this matter.

WWJD
Amen.

The Soviet Commune today has concluded a meeting that made its business primarily the condemnation of the United States as a cowardly agent of empire.

That Washington is either taking the side of the Holy League or else refusing to accept that it [the League], with Roycelandia, represents the cause of the modern global crisis is seen as represented by preparedness for military action being taken against Yugoslavia while no such aid was rendered to Portugal or the British.

Clearly, says a Soviet Consul, the Quinntonian excuse, "But Mainwaring quit NATO!" was not the real reason for non-intervention -why would that matter to Portugal's situation, anyway?- since Austria is not a treaty-bould ally of the United States.

Quinntonia is prepared to threaten the Soviet Commonwealth for daring to react to Roycelandian aggression, and to menace Yugoslavia for a limited attack against Austria. Meanwhile, France, Russia, Spain, and Roycelandia commit mass murder on multiple continents, and the reaction is quite different, muted by the sheepish mentality of the believer and the limitations of his primitive theocracy.

The Soviets declare that they will strike down the Holy League and those on its side of the barricade [a reference to the YPA operation?], along with any forces that indicate sympathy for that side by choosing intervention such as against Yugoslavia while not against Spain, France, Roycelandia, and Russia.

Mauritius

A small civil transport aircraft in colours of the Commonwealth's national carrier set down on the island. From it emerged a Soviet Consul who, though he never introduced himself, flashed identification -that is to say, drew back his cape to reveal a sword on his hip- as the athletic 6'6" Geletian pushed people out of his path along the way to Austrian government offices. He was here only to deliver a friendly warning.

This is a time of high tension... blah blah blah... caused by imperialism... et cetera et cetera... this isn't a declaration of war... yada yada yada...

"...But it would be best if you gave-up this ridiculous enterprise and went to defend your own borders, before anti-imperialist operations directed primarily against Holy League and Roycelandian positions in the Indian Ocean also overtake your tiny garrison."

Mauritius could be instantly cut-off by Soviet submarines and aircraft, and the Austrian garrison wiped-out in minutes rather than hours if, for example, the US decided to attack Yugoslavia in support of Austria and to meddle with Soviet operations in the Indian Ocean. It seemed best that the Soviets not have to bother, and remain out of conflict with Austria -respecting Yugoslav neutrality- by encouraging Vienna to get out of the WWIII equation ASAP. Portmeirion was not really interested in Austria except as a symbol of Quinntonian duplicity.

Belgrade has responded to the United States' provocations largely by increasing the ammount of time that Chinese diplomats spend on television in the company of Yugoslav officials, and by increasing the ammount of money spent flattering said diplomats while continuing to talk vaguely about limited trade and military purchases.

The Socialist Federal Republic has also tried to increase diplomatic and economic ties with Australasia in an effort to maintain the nation's interest in spite of continued hesitation over allowing foreign troops on to Yugoslav soil.

One Yugoslav news station -an obscure Macedonian local radio station, in fact- has suggested that Quinntonia's build-up and antagonism towards Yugoslavia is just a cover to deflect Holy League suspicions before a just strike against the true villains of the piece, or at least that the build-up is just for show and is in fact intended to steel Yugoslavia's true friends.

Of course, it is not for nothing that the Socialist Republic of Macedonia remains the federation's least developed constituent.

In time, the Quinntonian ambassador receives an invite to Petrovaradin. Settlement at this place of fourteen-thousand citizens that now houses Lav and any number of favoured foreign contacts, as tour guides will say, was first established as a fortress by Celts en route to what would later become a certain sub-continental superpower. In the small town, almost twenty-percent of the populace already self-identify as ethnic Yugoslavs, and several hundred Ukrainians are held-up as examples of proper pan-Slavism and anti-Estenlandic sentiment (whether they like it or not... and they do, because they all live in baroque townhouses and flats made of Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman fortifications at the expense of the state).

There is something of a this fortress has stood for longer than your nation... quality to the reception, but otherwise -if you can ignore the massive movement of military forces- it was reasonably dignified. L-20 Putin fighters passed over-head, named for the murdered President of Russia...

It is some time before Aidarov shows-up, and, when he does, he and the ambassador head down into the new extensions to generations-old tunnels under the fortress, and Larionko sits opposite the Quinntonian, staring, silent, with a few stern figures stood motionless in the shadowy corners of the cellar-like room. Sova-15 isn't public knowledge, but it already has saved Lav's life, deprogrammed brainwashed Soviet POWs captured in service of the French, crippled major command elements of the Kosovo Liberation Army, and stolen machine jibs and blueprints for the HAL Dhruv helicopter.

Switzerland

The Yugoslavian ambassador here remains civil. Since YPA forces have not yet directly engaged the Swiss, the Socialist Federal Republic maintains that it is not too late for a policy change. "Clearly" the ambassador will say, "even the internationally ridiculed nation of Austria..." (this was perhaps in reference to India's off-hand dismissal of the nation's ability to defend its own overseas colonies) "...gives Switzerland no substantial respect. Yugoslavia as yet has no cause to think in such disrespectful terms.

"We can certainly promise that Yugoslavia has no hostile intention against Switzerland, but, perhaps more to the point, it is not our intention to occupy Austria. We merely wish to remove the corrupt government that threatens Federal security, and to demilitarise the aspirant colonial authority."

Belgrade conveys through its ambassador a desire to avoid conflict with Switzerland. The YPA certainly does not fear Swiss forces- Austria and Switzerland combined are half Yugoslavia's size, maintain lighter standing militarisation and the wealthy freemarketeers have inferior heavy industry, not to mention their landlocked situation and perception of Holy League alignment. But there is no desire for war with Switzerland.

It is even suggested that the Swiss government, should it declare itself against the Holy League or firmly neutral, may have a hand in rebuilding the Austrian government after the current order is toppled. Some token labour regulations aside, Yugoslavia does not even intend to force economic changes on a defeated Austria, and would probably not block the backing of officials sympathetic to Swiss economic models and aims.


(OOC: Sorry! I really meant to get a military post in, at the end of this, but time has run away from me once more! I'll get to it, Austria.)

Chinese diplomats are pleased with their reception and are of course keen to find new markets for 'Made in China' military equipment and also an opportunity to see how it measured up against Austria's Eurofighters. A radar upgrade is offered for Yugoslavia's Mig-29s along with an export version of TC-4 air-to-air missile which offers superior range and manuverability to the AMRAAM with a ~70km range. The diplomats also float hints about establishing Chinese bases in Yugoslavia to protect the agreeable state against any possibility of Russian or Holy League aggression.

Needless to say, Quintonnia's announcement to force Austria out of the League is welcomed, and China announces that it be reasonable if Washington asks for anything.

OOC: Quinntonia's justification is in the Jesse Obed on Deathbed or somesuch thread. It puts pressure on Austria not to join the HL, essentially.

IC:
Raleigh, Australasia

Before leaving for Washington D.C, Christina Lloyd typed out a quick statement with regards to the Quinntonian buildup at Rammstein. Done on an antique Remington typewriter, it was fraught with spelling errors and crossouts. But it was legible, and sent to be retyped by some minor functionary before being sent to the parties concerned. In its corrected form it appeared as so:

The Australasian government has several concerns with regards to the situation developing in the Balkans. It is believed that, despite good intentions, Quinntonia's buildup will only cause more escalation by League powers in the area.

It was short, really too short to get the point across. But Christina would be in the Dominus Christi in a few hours, at which point she'd be able to talk face to face with the new Prime Minister.

(OOC: Ah, I see. Didnt' catch that earlier)

The Austrian government, half wanting to get out of its current state of limbo and to get help in the war releases a statement by the most beneficient Chancellor Maxen von Bismarck.

"Citizens of The Federacy, today I will glad heart tell you that the Yugo-Austrio war is coming to a conclusion. We are sending diplomats even as we speak to Yugoslavia asking for all pre-war boundries and specifics to be administered because we are now expecting heavy Quintonnian support.

As you rightly know, The Holy League has been accused in recent days to be..... barbaric in its practices in war, we assumed this was focused energy and not getting caught up in emotions which lead to even more deadly wars. Sadly, I now regard those actions to not be for averting long wars but rather to make war more deadly for more earthy gains of nothing more than for a delusioned ruler to look at a map and his empire.

To the African Union, we are sorry for intruding -for a time- into imperialism, we now see the error of our ways and now just humbly request to live out our life as we are now. No more - at least in the world oceans - and no less, for that we will happily not expand anymore into any oceanic domain.


Out of Speech-

Diplomats sent to Yugoslavia with the obove diplomacy

Same with the African Unioun

Austria is out of The Holy League

((Austria was never formally admitted to the Holy League. I say Lav, you seem to have won a war.))

Possibly the last actions of the shooting war?..

Alfred Ludendorf's 4th Army was watched by Yugoslav UAVs flying pre-programmed courses on Stojakovic's flank. His artillery attempted to disrupt it or at least to fend it off, but being mostly 122mm guns this was not really up to the task, and some began to withdraw quite soon after the Austrian force began to advance. Other pieces stayed, where they were sufficiently well emplaced, to give the enemy at least something to think about as he moved.

This was an affair of a few minutes, though. "Dhruv" and "Hind" (because they're "not really"!) helicopters carrying AT-4 anti-tank missiles were soon arriving to attack the armoured spearhead, trusting that the YPA Air Force had done much to reduce Austria's apparently limited air defences in the days previous. Unsure of how easy it would be to achieve battlefield kills against Leopard 2 tanks with the given weapons, the Yugoslavian helicopters were hoping to disrupt or even drive-off the attack rather than to deal a really crippling blow.

J-22 Orao committed to close attacks with 23mm cannon, freefall and cluster bombs, napalm tanks, and 2.75" unguided rockets, straffing Ludendorf's force on a regular basis as it approached Stojakovic's army.

If the armour did continue (air attacks would halt once the Austrian attack turned back), Stojakovic's men awaited with small arms, rifle grenades, 82mm and 120mm mortars, 100mm M87 Topaz anti-tank guns, 82mm recoilless rifles, Maljutka-2 SACLOS-guided anti-tank missiles, 30mm BGA automatic grenade launchers, and RBR-M80 Zolja 64mm LAW-alike shoulder-fired rockets, all of which weapons represented a threat, though few if any could breach the frontal armour of a Leopard 2. A number of RBR-90 Manual Rocket Launchers and Bumbar guided missiles, however, were a much more modern element.

Most of the infantry couldn't stand against such modern tanks as the Leopard 2, but neither were they apt to be captured. The force had quite limited logistical targets evident, since they were screening the near-by Yugoslav border, and had only a short journey to make with integral supplies. The large force would potentially allow the Austrian armour to drive into it, push it back, and leave anti-tank teams and snipers to make them regret the heavily mechanised but relatively lightly supported operation.

More dangerous than that, though, those infuriatingly mobile Oganj and Plamen-S rocket artillery pieces would appear to disperse rocket-deployed anti-tank mines directly ahead of the Austrian thrust. Hopefully, the discovery of mines on their own soil would be a sufficiently painfull experience to halt the Austrian thrust, and, anyway, the intent was only to slow it down so that Stojakovic's vanguard could pin Trugen against the Drava.

Fighting so close to home, the YPA was still able to exhibit the vast capability gap that it had over the SFRY's modern but less powerful neighbour.

Meanwhile, elements of Pupin's force, just south of the Drava, began to move to the bridges just to the west of Klagenfurt, while still exchanging fire across the river with Trugen. More impressively, though, the YPA's single Airborne Brigade made a showing. Boxkite transport planes -about three dozen of them- along with six Dhruv light helicopters and three assault helicopters, brought eight-hundred semi-elite YPA troops and crew-served weapons to a field outside Villach, on the north side of the river. Unfortunately for any man or beast in said field, napalm, supplied by a pair of Super Galeb jets, was used to prepare the landing zone, over which two squadrons of MiG-29 fighters with droptanks flew rotational short-range combat-air-patrol from bases in Slovenia.

If the war was not concluded within hours, the YPA would be crossing just about all the rivers in southern Austria from all directions on all sides of the deployed Austrian armies.

Belgrade

Austrian diplomats are received in such a way as to expose them to clean streets lined with flags bearing the red star, crowded with enthusiastic Slav nationalists and socialists, and paraded-along by YPA units on their way north. Most notable would be hundreds of soldiers from the substantial Bulgarian People's Army, a branch of the Yugoslav People's Army, who were recently ordered to deploy, fresh, to Austria.

Federal Secretary for National Defence, Kastus Vorobei, Lavragerian war veteran, met the diplomats, eventually, in dress uniform, after making them wait under the watch of stern looking gentlemen who had little to say, but lots of firepower on their hips. The Sova-15 Office wasn't going to go unrepresented here, though certainly unspoken and uncredited.

"War is not what either of us wants, we are agreed on that... though I can forgive you for thinking otherwise after seeing our People's Army.

"You should realise, of course, friends, that Quinntonian deployments to Germany will not be what discourages Yugoslavia's part in the fight. If the United States were to attack YPA forces, our shores would open to the Australasians and others wishing a land-route to France. Washington knows this, and does not want to put its forces in such a difficult situation as to be opposing the forces of these normally friendly nations.

"Austria's abandonment of the Holy League is what we are after, but Vienna would do well to realise that Belgrade feels no particular need to bargain, beyond our benevolent desire for peace.

"We must be absolutely assured that League forces will not be allowed into Austria, and then may we conclude a peace and stand-down our forces.

"Be warned, also, that Yugoslavia will be watchfull of Austrian military ambition, and our own non-pursuit of strategic weapons will only last as long as Austria's."

Kinshasa tentatively supports Yugoslavian agression, insofar the stated objectives are achievable against the advanced enemy military, and some Commonwealthers fear that they are not.

It is limited what AC can do for Belgrade at present, but there are offers in the air of stepping up production and export of the M-93 heavy sniper rifle and T-55 engineering tanks, both of which are compatible with the yugoslav military.

<QUOTE>In time, the Quinntonian ambassador receives an invite to Petrovaradin. Settlement at this place of fourteen-thousand citizens that now houses Lav and any number of favoured foreign contacts, as tour guides will say, was first established as a fortress by Celts en route to what would later become a certain sub-continental superpower. In the small town, almost twenty-percent of the populace already self-identify as ethnic Yugoslavs, and several hundred Ukrainians are held-up as examples of proper pan-Slavism and anti-Estenlandic sentiment (whether they like it or not... and they do, because they all live in baroque townhouses and flats made of Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman fortifications at the expense of the state).

There is something of a this fortress has stood for longer than your nation... quality to the reception, but otherwise -if you can ignore the massive movement of military forces- it was reasonably dignified. L-20 Putin fighters passed over-head, named for the murdered President of Russia...

It is some time before Aidarov shows-up, and, when he does, he and the ambassador head down into the new extensions to generations-old tunnels under the fortress, and Larionko sits opposite the Quinntonian, staring, silent, with a few stern figures stood motionless in the shadowy corners of the cellar-like room. Sova-15 isn't public knowledge, but it already has saved Lav's life, deprogrammed brainwashed Soviet POWs captured in service of the French, crippled major command elements of the Kosovo Liberation Army, and stolen machine jibs and blueprints for the HAL Dhruv helicopter.<QUOTE>

The Quinntonian Ambassador, an older man of Slavic descent, one Father Stjepan Mesic, a greying Orthodox Priest who wears the weight of his many years with a resignation born of having seen far too many die. He looks around inside this cramped room smelling of death, and begins in perfect Gallahktan, “ President Aidarov, my government has come to announce a glorious day. Your war with Austria is over. In very high-level talks, the Austrian government has declared itself free of Holy League alliance and control, and has been asked to give up its overseas imperial ambitions as well as ask for a brokered peace, instead of a bloody one. It is only through the heroics of your soldiery that this was allowed to happen, and May the Lord God Almighty bless you and the Yugoslavian peoples in your aims of peace. Keria Eliasion, Lord have mercy. My congregation has even decided to hold a mass in honour of this momentous day. Is this not wonderful news?”

WWJD
Amen.

Daniel Spader, deputy Foreign Minister, certainly enjoyed Minister Lloyd's absence from government over the past few weeks as she flew from hotspot to hotspot, calming nerves and sparking conflict as the case may be. With her gone, Spader was finally able to step out of the small woman's unusually long shadow and make a name for himself.

It was in that spirit that Spader flew aboard one of the C-130s returned from Africa, on his way to meet with the Yugoslav government. In his pocket he carried an agreement to be signed between Yugoslavia, Austria and the USQ. Essentially, it outlined that Australasia would refrain from landing troops so long as Austria pledged to remain non-Holy League, Quinntonia agreed not to firebomb anything, and Yugoslavia agreed to respect the borders of its neighbours.

With that, it was hoped, the front would be closed.

Under Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad

Lav continued to stare quietly at Mesic for a couple of heavy seconds after the ambassador had finished speaking. Perhaps the impression was that he did not want to react and betray any real emotion or much of his opinion on the ambassador's purpose here. But, suddenly, the President laughed what he considered to be a good, hard, Eastern European laugh. It was almost painful for just an instant, in that brittle, close room. The laughter rolled on, and, in a moment, as Aidarov began to nod his head, the other Yugoslavs on hand joined in, though less forcefully.

Larionko rose, still smiling, and extended his hand to the ambassador.

The Father rose and smoothing out his long beard, immediately extended his hand to the head of state. As they shook hand, Father Mesic asked if there was anything else he could take back to the Quinntonian Diplomatic Corps. When he made his report on this day?

WWJD
Amen.

Daniel Spader, deputy Foreign Minister, certainly enjoyed Minister Lloyd's absence from government over the past few weeks as she flew from hotspot to hotspot, calming nerves and sparking conflict as the case may be. With her gone, Spader was finally able to step out of the small woman's unusually long shadow and make a name for himself.

It was in that spirit that Spader flew aboard one of the C-130s returned from Africa, on his way to meet with the Yugoslav government. In his pocket he carried an agreement to be signed between Yugoslavia, Austria and the USQ. Essentially, it outlined that Australasia would refrain from landing troops so long as Austria pledged to remain non-Holy League, Quinntonia agreed not to firebomb anything, and Yugoslavia agreed to respect the borders of its neighbours.

With that, it was hoped, the front would be closed.

The Austrian government agress with Spader's proposal and with it stops all military activity. Alfred, disappointed with not having meet the enemy, is sent over to BA, to command the Austrian contigent going there. Truegen is retracted to Klugenfurt, and the Graz front is finally quiet from the scoot and shoot tactics of the artillery.

Austria's economy looks up, the FIA has some new, productive, Southern Federacy (Franberry) company IPOs, the military hardware start-ups have benn mostly bought up with a few still hanging round and making money. Investors, finally successful - with no sight or smell of inflation - encourage more investors waiting for the complete end to come back out of the shadows. Technology comapnies are also bought up by big capitalization companies especialy with the new orders of Ulans, Land to Air anti-aircraft self-proppeled, and airplanes makes even Stille Incorporated stressed to complete all of the electronics.


The CEO of Stille Incorporated, Gruffin ber Fuhr, is leaving the company today to continue his philanthropist organization Money For The Mauritas, a non-profit organization devoted to helping the Mauritas, an Austrian colony a few miles from Madagascar in Africa. Him and several refitted cargo transportation Boeing 747s (20) are now transporting an un-realeased amount of cargoe to the Austrian colony with the Ignovian Soviet cut off of supplies to the islands.

*pokes Yugo and Quinntonia*

Yugoslavia, having never agreed to allow any foreign forces on to its soil and feeling quite able to repulse any nation, isn't particularly inclined to sign any treaty that in any way limits its freedom to act however the hell Lav wants. The concessions put forward in Lav's own proposal some time earlier are the sum of what is likely to be given-up, but, generally, it appears that, with Austria out of contention for a League place, the withdrawal of YPA forces will be sufficient to end the conflict.

However, Belgrade is now a little concerned about the number of modern tanks and armoured vehicles being produced in Austria, and releases an independent communiqué to Vienna indicating that Austrian build-ups will be met in kind across the border. Of course, if Austria is militarising against threats from the Holy League, then so be it, and both nations will continue to increase armament, but if Austria's build-up, at the end of the conflict, is against Yugoslavia, then it makes as much sense for both nations to limit their expansion in that regard.

Austria

In the south of Stiermark and Karnten, liberating Austrian forces will tend to find a fair bit of material destruction. Banks, factories, weapons caches, vehicle depots, fuel dumps, warehouses, all sorts of things have been, "hit by Austrian defensive artillery" that was directed against advancing YPA units, and turned to ruined shells, their contents, "destroyed". Meanwhile, Yugoslavian dealerships are full of refurbished Austrian motor vehicles, Lav's shadier contacts from days gone by are laundering Austrian currency, a few new small factories are opening with western machinetools, and so on and so forth. Hardly a king's ransom, but spoils of war are spoils of war.

In turn, the Austrians find spent shellcases and a few burned-out trucks and ICVs, from most of which any still-viable components have been stripped. There's also several Su-27's worth of wreckage, and about nine downed baseline J-22 Orao.

Belgrade, Yugoslavia

Spader pulled his overcoat tighter around himself, the Eastern European weather not particularly endearing itself to him. The tarmac was wet, his C-130 transport was dull and olive drab coloured. Most diplomats arrived in style, but not him. He had to fly in some bloody army aircraft.

The Yugoslavs had been chary of signing any treaties, a position which Spader could understand, to an extent. Indeed, it even served to support Australasian interests to keep Yugoslavia belligerent. Spain and Russia would be forced to devote a certain amount of their landpower to keep on par with Lav's militarization, so long as neither the Tsar nor Philip VII got twitchy and invaded. But if Quinntonia was there to keep the peace...

And so Spader had a deal for Lav and for Prime Minister Moerike. It was secret, so secret that the message to Christina Lloyd had been hand delivered by a pilot sworn to silence. Spader himself would inform Lav, if he was granted an audience.

And so to that end, the Deputy Foreign Minister cooled his heels on the Belgrade tarmac, waiting for his escort to arrive.

The Chinese diplomats congratulate Aidarov for his role in the moral victory over Austria.

Despite not paying much attention to this part of the world lately, Beijing reminds her that the offer of advanced AAMs is still on the table, and given Austria's continued buildup, might be a prudent purchase.

Yugoslavia, having never agreed to allow any foreign forces on to its soil.......YPA forces will be sufficient to end the conflict.

However, Belgrade is now a little concerned about the number of modern tanks and armoured vehicles being produced in Austria ........it makes as much sense for both nations to limit their expansion in that regard.

Austria

In the south of Stiermark and Karnten, liberating Austrian forces will tend to find a fair bit of material destruction......
In turn, the Austrians find spent shellcases and a few burned-out trucks and ICVs...... also several Su-27's worth of wreckage, and about nine downed baseline J-22 Orao.

The policy at the moment regarding Yugoslavia is at one point cold, right now, but most remeber the article which Austria wants to be singed by Yugoslavia so must remebr not to be to mean. Pretty much Austria sees no way the treaty forces Yugoslavia to be any less agressive, just a general peace treaty but with a "moral victory" for you.

Once again, Austria is curious to how the Slav mind works, how can a small, not fully equiped army of 115,000 can stave of any detachment of Holy League forces.

Austria does not attempt any protracted reverse engineering because A: Money is and will be spent better elsewhere, and B: Patent rights are still a heavy pieace of law in Austria.

In another move, Austrian Silvarians are now being happily traced in Germany, New Switzerland, Fance, Spain, Russia, Australaisia, Southern Federacy, Quintonnia, Arab Republic, and anybody else where the Special Directive Units can find an excuse -and sometimes not any- to enter the country.

Queen Munson and O'Riley have declared Switzerland in a state of peace with Yugoslavia. All military actions, including the draft, are finished. Planes, helicopters, and other transports have been returned to their hangars.

The populace as well as the government of Switzerland is happy that peace has come without any hard feelings. All accounts are unfrozen and once again available for access.