The Battle of Britain Has Begun

Day 804, 14:57 • Published in USA USA • by Lieutenant Scheisskopf

Just before server reset on Day 803, EDEN launched a full-blown invasion of the eUnited Kingdom, opening three simultaneous fronts and five battles. The attack, coming in the 23rd hour of the day, is a favorite time of attacking forces, as it allows for mass damage by the offense if they have held fire all day while their enemy is denied the chance to heal twice in the battle. This article walks you through each front, explains the actions, and offers insight on where the front may go next.


The attacks which started just prior to server reset

USA-UK Front
The main front of this EDEN assault is the push by the eUSA, as the country has 6 mutual protection pacts (MPPs) (eCroatia, eFinland, eGreece, ePoland, eSweden, and eSwitzerland) mobilized against the eUK, more which are activated than any EDEN country within striking range and the only one with ePolish backing. As a likely consequence, both of its battles in Wales and the South West of England have pushed the eUK and its 15 MPPs deep into the underground as of 20:00 eRep time. eUS President Jewitt pushed the button against the two regions which the eUS could attack, so no explanation of regions selection is necessary except that he wanted to kill Redcoats.

If the eUSA holds on to win both fronts, the obvious consequence is that they gain a foothold in Great Britain from which they could attempt to further advance; however, an eUS win at Wales would mean that either the eCanadians or eNorwegians (or both) would not be able to enter the island on their own. Were the eUSA to advance from the South West of England to attack the South East of England, then as the European landscape looks now, they would be preventing eSpain and ePoland from crossing the English Channel from occupied North Calais and Picardy. However, as eSpain has no MPPs activated against the eUK and is currently able to fight in support of eNorway (below), this may not matter as much, except that eSpain would be unable to open a separate front to siphon off damage from Phoenix as they respond to multiple attacks.

Norway-UK Front
eNorway enjoys some EDEN support in their front with the eUK, but their 4 MPPs (eGreece, eRomania, eSpain, and the eUSA) have been unable to seriously contest their battle in Scotland against the eUK’s 15 MPPs. Scotland is the only region eNorway could attack from their mainland, but in the event that the battle their changes, they would be able to push south on three regions; one of these, the North East of England, would block eSweden from their one entry point to Great Britain were the eSwedes to attempt to try blocking campaigns in the future. That being said, eNorway would need to keep the eUK initiative locked, as the eUK could easily counterattack either from their natural regions or their occupied region of Nordjylland in Denmark.


Much has been made of the eUK's alliances,
and with good reason, as they outnumber all their attackers

Canada-UK Front
The final active front in the Battle of eBritain is the eCanadian front, which is attacking both Scotland and Wales. However, without any MPPs to speak of, their attacks were being repulsed by excessively high walls until 19:30, when the Scotland battle fell into tanking range. eCanada is, largely, a blocking front designed for precisely this purpose, as the hundreds of thousands of damage points exhausted by Phoenix against them are not being used against the eUSA, where EDEN is having its greatest success. Moreover, eCanada is in fairly secure position against counterattack, as they have 10 signed MPPs which would become activated were the eUK to attack a naturally eCanadian territory; in all likelihood, Phoenix leadership would not want to activate these MPPs while focus is on the eUK.

Apart from being a blocker, eCanada is also playing a “straddling” role for EDEN, by attacking regions which their allies are also attacking. This forces Phoenix to win both battles for a single region, or otherwise lose the region entirely; it also places greater burden on the defense, to ensure that their damage is being spread evenly and to meet the attackers’ capabilities, lest they fail once and lose entirely. Were the eUS to win in Wales-- which looks likely at this hour-- eCanada could continue to play a blocking role by alternating attacks with eNorway against Scotland if neither EDEN member wins that battle outright. However, if the eUS wins both of their battles, Scotland would be the access point for eNorway and eCanada, implying that one (probably eCanada) would be shut out from attacking the eUK and would be relegated to fighting through MPPs which are not available with the other attackers, or to deploying its militaries to one of the other EDEN countries involved in the fight.


Even with three fronts under fire, eUK and Phoenix
leaders continue to monitor other EDEN states which may attack

What Could Come
With the close of battle coming just before server reset, several scenarios are possible which merit consideration:

1. Phoenix could have reserved much of its firepower and may be able to unleash a counterpunch before the close of battle, attempting to win the eUS battles or securing the others.
2. Either eCanada or eNorway may attempt a second strike on Scotland, or eCanada may attack Wales in the event that the eUS also were to lose there. Alternatively, the eUS and other EDEN victories would be followed up by more attacks opening just before server reset. Barring an eUK retreat, the very soonest London could come under fire is late in Day 805-- and that is not to be mistaken as a foregone conclusion or an easy battle by any means.
3. eSpain may open a fourth front from North Calais, mentioned previously, attacking the South East of England. This is unlikely overall, as eSpain is actively counterattacking the resurrected eFrench and has opened a renewed effort on the eItalians. That said, EDEN’s priorities will determine whether the strike from North Calais is carried out.
4. ePoland could also open its own front on the South East of England from their occupied region of Picardy. However, this maneuver would likely take away much strength from the eUSA front and may do EDEN more harm than good by spreading its line too thin.
5. Mentioned in passing, eSweden could attack from Midtjylland at the North East of England. They would be little more than a block, and are also one of the eUSA’s MPPs; however, EDEN could calculate that their loss from the eUSA front may not be too overwhelming and justified by the additional front.
6. Currently attacking EDEN members could find themselves the victim of initiative blocks, as eRussia, a country whose potential impact I have long covered, is able to block initiative on eNorway, eCanada, and the eUSA by attacking an adjacent region.
7. Phoenix could take advantage of EDEN’s preoccupation with the eUK to make gains elsewhere. None of the countries, because of their MPPs, have had to deploy their militaries to the eUK, so they do have the luxury of a flexible response.

Just Ahead
The next 24 hours in the eUK will be very interesting, as the momentum and propaganda value to the close of these battles will be significant for both sides. EDEN should tread carefully, as the eUK’s formidable list of MPPs, now activated, either need to be destroyed entirely or prevented from reaching other EDEN nations too haphazardly. Especially with the alliance’s increasing use of region swaps in the past week, which have undermined EDEN’s effectiveness as a defensive force, any failure or hyperaggressive maneuvers could leave EDEN members exposed and compromised by a strong counterattack. Either way, much of the New World has what they have wanted for months: a full-blown Battle of Britain.

God Bless America,

Lt. Scheisskopf


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