Fights Flare in Asia as South Africa Prepares for War, Day 877

Day 877, 09:34 • Published in USA USA • by Lieutenant Scheisskopf

Military matters on Day 877 have gained more breadth as additional parts of the world have come under fire, although there is no discernible increase in depth to suggest any sustained campaigns yet. The eSpanish lost three of their five resistance wars (RW) since yesterday’s fight (see updates in yesterday's article since I do not discuss them here), but no additional action has been pursued by Phoenix in this front. Instead, the focus seems to return to the south and east, as the eUS and eSerbia both see its Asian positions come under fire, eGreece enters into the fray in the Levant, and the cusp of war is nearing in South Africa.

Indonesia Threatens Karnataka

eIndonesia’s movements on Southern Thailand (light blue) and the RW on Andhra
Pradesh (squared) could threaten Karnataka, while eIndia’s attack on Rajasthan (dark blue)
could remove eSerbia from the country-- or open the door for an eSerb counterattack

Early in Day 877, Phoenix soldiers began a RW in the eUS-held reigon of Andhra Pradesh. The region is in limo as the wall has been pushed into the underground while most eAmericans are offline, but it remains to be seen if they will fight here or not. At the same time, eIndonesia opened an attack on Southern Thailand (ST), a strategic region held by the eUS as ST is the stepping stone needed by eIndonesia to reenter the Indian subcontinent. Neither side seems to be actively contesting this battle; however, eIndonesia’s tanking corps has not been seen and could easily turn the outcome if deployed in their cause.

Combine these two military developments with a statement by eIndonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), and it is hard to overlook that Karnataka should be the main objective of these maneuvers in South Asia. Were eIndonesia to win ST, they would need to declare war on eIndia, who holds the other stepping stone region of Tamil Nadu prior to advancing on Karnataka for a conventional assault. Alternatively, we may see a RW open up in the eUS’ iron hub and critical region which has been leased from eIndia. In either event, if MoFA Ostin’s article is more than an empty threat, these two moves by eIndonesia suggest that a heated battle for a pivotal iron hub may be imminent in the coming days.

India, China Attack Serbian-Held Asian Regions

eChina and eIndia, acting in tandem, are the yin to each other's yang against eSerbia

Tensions between eIndia and eSerbia have boiled in eIndian press, and culminated with a declaration of war on the much larger Phoenix state who has held eIndian regions since taking Rajasthan from eChina two weeks ago. eIndia’s Armed Forces has indicated that the decision was made independently of EDEN and that eIndia wants to remove eSerbia, who unlike the eUS, is an unwelcome guest by their account. On the other hand, eSerbia realizes its vast size and strength superiority, and is not considering eIndia’s gestures as a significant threat-- quite the contrary-- some eSerbs note that Jharkhand is within striking distance and could come under fire now that eIndia has opened a fight with them. To keep eSerbia from launching a counterattack against eIndia, they need to win these battles or be able to keep initiative indefinitely-- two tasks which will not be easy for the smaller country. So with all this being said, the attack on Rajasthan has opened an eIndian-eSerbian war. Time will tell if other Phoenix or EDEN members are drawn into this fight, or if the fight could create a larger issue by combining with the eIndo threats on Karnataka mentioned previously.

The strategic implications of Inner Mongolia (center) can be seen by how many
regions it borders en route to the critical regions of Heilongjiang and Liaoning

Nearly lockstep with their eIndian ally, eChina has attacked the eSerbian region of Inner Mongolia, whose strategic importance as a defense point for Heilongjiang and Liaoning I have documented extensively, and was pivotal for eSerbia’s conquest of Liaoning back on Day 818. eChina has attacked Inner Mongolia a number of times and never with much success; however, it could serve as a means to siphon off eSerbian damage in the event that eIndia could possibly achieve gains in its own battle against the Phoenix power.

Greece Intervenes in the Levant
Following eTurkey’s attacks on eIsrael from Day 876, the eGreeks did intervene on their smaller neighbor’s behalf as I suggested they may, and have attacked Tel Aviv in conjunction with a resistance war in the district. As this battle has yet to attract international support beyond the Asia Minor states, their outcomes will hinge on who, between eGreece and eTurkey, is able to hit harder. The fight for Tel Aviv would not be the end of tensions here, as eGreece would need to also remove the eTurks from the Haifa District, which is eTurkey’s sole doorway into the Levant.

South Africa Declares War

eSouth African fighters don their colors in anticipation of an intense war against a long-time adversary

In a final development whose full implications will be known later, one of the few non-Phoenix members in the Southern Hemisphere, eSouth Africa, has declared war on eBrazil early in Day 877. The rules of game mechanics require an attack within 24 hours of any declaration-- otherwise, eBrazil gains initiative against eSA-- so an attack on one of the eBrazilian-occupied regions in South Africa seems to be the likely target. Whether one of the two lesser regions, or the fortress and diamonds-intensive Gauteng could be targeted is unknown. As eSA has had very heated relations with eBrazil for several months, this theater of war is likely to attract international attention and could enable other significant events to go under the radar in the meantime.

Final Thoughts
As mentioned in the opening, more fronts are seeing action but nothing yet indicates an extended focus in the fighting has taken root. This may be an attempt for both Phoenix and EDEN to feel out the other side's weaknesses, but the implications of an attack on Karnataka or a strong eSA thrust could give both alliances pause before moving to other fights. Whether a larger campaign can result from either of these starts will be seen in coming days.

God Bless America,

Lt. Scheisskopf

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