In 1938 the Deutscheslavanian leader Herr Kernel Oberst Christi Von Eleven massed the Deutscheslavanian Army on the Border of Dannunifius. The international community treated this as an empty threat and was in the process of imposing sanctions on the Deutscheslavanian Nation.
World leaders had no way of knowing the extent of Eleven’s plan. Having rearmed in secret, Dannunifius underestimated the Deutschewehr’s size and abilities. Christi Eleven launched a massive global assault against the world’s major powers. This plan was fourfold; invade northward and conquer Veravania, overrun the Felisorian Peninsula, cripple Jamsterdavania’s abilities in Dununder and invade northern Dannunifius and prevent Dannunifian interference by taking their capital, Sacia.
The invasion of Northern Dannunifius was planned to be quick and in two places simultaneously. The first phase of the battle was to cross the river Nesdor and capture Forntedi, Dannunifius. This town was heavily defended, a response to the Deutscheslavanian build up. The element of surprise would be implemented in a massive attack that would cause a route.
Christi Eleven entrusted this stage of the attack to Feld-Marschall Klaus Von Wesson. Von Wesson was in charge of the First Deutscheslavanian Korps and crossed the Nesdor River on September 3, 1938 taking the Legion Du’ Nor, the defenders of Forntedi, by complete surprise. The Legion Du’ Nor made a haphazard stand on the south side of Forntedi, but were divided and eventually made a retreat into the Mount Kestern area.
This retreat was further hampered by an attack by Kernal Franz Metzler, which established a line south east of the city. Much of communication of the Dannunifian Royal military was disrupted. Dannunifian units went on the defensive and consolidated a line from Mount Kestern to Sacia.
Instantly Dannunifian military authorities planned an counter-offensive. Three Korps under the command of Feld-Marschall Alexander Hehrner then converged on Sacia, before any plan could even be approved. The Dannunifian Army retreated into Sacia and fortified the city.
Dannunifius ordered several Legions from Lacogrand to reinforce Sacia from impending attacks. Dannunifius was totally unable to honor its commitment to Felixland and Deutscheslavanian troops penetrated to the gates of Elix. Felixland surrendered within that week.
In the second stage of the battle Deutscheslavania consolidated its position in the conquered Dannunifian duchy of Forntedi. They also began to outflank the defenses of Sacia. By October 10, 1938 the Dannunifians had been driven out of their former territory. This is called often called the First Great Route.
The new line was weak but it helped delay the invasion until Jamsterdavanian units could arrive to reinforce. The Jamsterdavanian Expeditionary force was months away and the Siege of Sacia had begun. The Jamsterdavanians made the decision to fight the battle for Dannunifius before any other theater.
Christi Eleven was initially proud of the assaults, but became concerned when the battle stalled. Eleven knew that the introduction of the Jamsterdavanians into the region would complicate the attack. Christi Eleven responded my promoting his region commanders to military governors.
In a letter to Feld-Marschall Klaus Von Wesson in December of 1938 Christi Eleven spelled out his concern.
“I feel that this mission should be completed before the Jamsters enter. I strongly suggest that you move to accomplish the desired objective by February. Our forces move to conquest of the north and west, this can only be accomplished by your mission success. It is my hope to fully conquer this continent; you will be at the front of that assault. Your promotion to military governor of Deutsche Forntedi is done with the understanding tat you prepared your district to be a link in that chain.”
Eleven annexed the conquered regions to Deutscheslavania in January of 1940 turning the Sacian Area into two military jurisdictions.
The Deutscheslavanians made another assault in 1940 that created a good position in the forests east of Sacia. By this time, Jamsterdavanian troops had taken position on the Dannunifian front.
Jamsterdavanians began to relieve Royal home forces that strengthened the line against the Deutscheslavanians. The Deutscheslavanians prepared for their big push and staged in Deutsches Forntedi and Deutsches Bergia. Lacogrand prepared for an offensive as Jamsterdavanian troops massed in the south.
Deutscheslavanian made its last major offensive against Sacia in March of 1940. This is often called the Second Big Route.
Sacia was completely caught in a double envelopment that would last almost seven years.
The Deutscheslavanians could not continue their attack to the south, on to Lacogrand, due to the strengthened line of Dannunifian and Jamsterdavanian soldiers. General Francis Dukeshire’s Federal Republic Air Force finally arrived in strength and began raids into Deutscheslavania and its positions in Dannunifius.
The siege of Sacia continued until the winter of 1945-46. A hole in the Deutscheslavanian line, caused by close air attacks followed by a massive strike by a United Allies force routed the Deutscheslavanians to well into the countryside. The Deutscheswehr could not repel the attack until they fell back on their own positions.
This is the start of a period called the Dark Hours. The stunning losses of the Deutscheslavanian Army on all fronts weighed on Christi Eleven. The death of his experienced Delasian Feld-Marschalls in 1945 and 1946 contributed greatly to the fall of the Deutscheslavanian Empire. Failing to capture Sacia and then losing Northern Dannunifius destroyed the morale of the Deutscheslavanian home defenders.
Christi Eleven surrendered in Tomcovy in May of 1947. His great plan of Pax Deutscheslavania was terminated. Eleven cited the failure to capture Sacia as a key to losing the war.
Primary Units of the Siege of Sacia
The Siege of Sacia involved most of the best-trained units on Continental Delasia. Most of the Dannunifian units were city garrisons and frontier units, Deutscheslavanian troops were elite crack troops trained in Dununder or Achtungland and the Jamsterdavanian units that entered the war in March 1939 were mostly conscripts. The Dannunifian units preformed abysmally in the early days suffering loss after loss to the Deutscheslavanians, concurrently the Deutscheslavanian units were very proficient during the first part of the war.
Deutscheslavanian Units- The massing of the Deutscheslavanian Army on the border of Dannunifius was done mostly in secret during the initial months of 1938. Christi Eleven announced the extent of the build-up in July of 1938. The First Deutscheslavanian Korps under Feld-Marschall Klaus Von Wesson conducted the initial action. The First Deutscheslavanian Korps was created in Tomcovy in 1925, but its soldiers were trained near mission San Greo, Dununder. The First Agriculture Squad, as it was known in Dununder, was registered to the Jamstenational Court in 1926 as per the 1922 Treaty that ended the Third World Conflict. The unit operated a plantation near Brigger Road and trained with weapons discretely.
Members of the Agriculture unit were slowly switched out and transferred to the First Deutscheslavanian Korps. The numbers in that unit swelled. Kernal Klaus Von Wesson, Christi Eleven’s first commander, was promoted to Feld-Marschall and given command of the Korps.
Oberst Franz Metzler, a classmate and one time rival of Christi Eleven, was given command of the smaller 3rd Battalion, which positioned itself between the First Deutscheslavanian Korps and the Suden-Deutsch Korps under the command of Third World Conflict hero Feld-Marschall Gunter Von Klunge which was located near the mountains.
There were two other Deutscheslavanian units that crossed the border toward Sacia. These battalions were under the command of Feld-Marschall Rupert Von Schmitt and Feld-Marschall Alexander Hehrner.
In 1939 and 1940 several units of lesser-trained conscripts were entered into the theater. These units continued their training while acting as an army of occupation. These units were intended to invade the rest of Dannunifius, but the Dark Hours ended those plans.
Royal Dannunifian Units- Most Dannunifian units were trained to repel attacks on a city. Most of these units have names that indicate that they are regional legions. The first Dannunifian unit to see action was the Legion Du’ Nor , this unit was made up of several companies from the northern city legions reorganized to meet the threat of the Deutscheslavanian build-up.
The unit was not a cohesive group and friction between city company commanders and a slight language barrier between the Sacian Company and that of Lacogrand. This greatly contributed to the disorder and confusion of the Battle of Forntedi. The Legion Du’ Forntedi was routed, overrun and utterly decimated. The remaining units of that Legion were sent to bolster the defenses at Sacia and Lacogrand.
The newly created Legions making the stand against the Deutscheslavanians were made up almost entirely of conscripts. This resulted in extremely high Royal casualties and a poor showing on the battlefield.
When the Deutscheslavanians completely enveloped Sacia, the Legion Du’ Sacia and several Jamsterdavanian units suffered along with the populace as food and other supplies ran out.
Three Legions remained in Sacia while others joined the push across the pre-war border. Jamsterdavanian units allowed Dannunifian units to lead this offensive, which would eventually push to Tomcovy.
Federal Republic of Jamsterdavania Units- Six Federal Republic units were sent to relieve collapsing Dannunifian lines and garrison the key city of Lacogrand, which Jamsterdavanians dropping the “d” took to calling Lacogran. These units were under the command of Lt General Joachim Henderson and included the 134th Infantry Division, the 112th Armored Cavalry Unit and, the original Dannunifian Expeditionary Force, the 100th Jamsterdavanian Infantry.
Also among these forces was the 3rd Air Wing of the Federal Republic Air Force under the Command of Colonel Harlow Walter Stevenson.
The 112th and 99th Infantry both were trapped in Sacia during the Envelopment of that city. Brig. General Maxwell Anthony resisted for nearly 7 years never surrendering to the enemy.
Sgt. Joe Marcel, of the 99th Infantry recounted the experience after the war in 1950.
“The streets,” said Marcel, “always seemed empty, even when we knew people were about. The Deutscheslavanians shelled us at regular hours, normally at noon and at dinnertime. Food was always hard to get and guys would horde what they could. Fights broke out all the time among enlisted men. As things got worse, and food really became scarce, the people could be seen catching dogs and cats.”
He went on to explain; “I knew things were getting really bad when Corporal Winters ask me if he could eat another person. We got hope in 1944 when the FRAF began dropping relief packages with canned meat chocolate and military supplies. This helped us to hold out…I would have eaten him.(laugh)…no not really, but we laugh about it.”
In all 11 Federal Republic units broke the line with the Dannunifians. More Jamsterdavanians were killed in Dannunifius that in Felixland, Veravania, Stefanfang and Dununder combined during the Forth World Conflict.