| Part of the Endralon Succession Dispute | |
| |
| Date | July 2964 – August 2967 |
| Location | Endralon |
| Result | Decisive Loyalist victory; Syldavians gain hegemony in Endralon; Joseph Fortenohfiv exiled to Hulstria |
| Belligerents | |
 Syldavian Loyalists
|
 Fortenohfiv Rebels
|
| Commanders | |
| Ottokar I of Endralon | Joseph Fortenohfiv |
| Notable incidents | |
| Battle of Syldavia – Operation Triumph – Edinstvo insurrection – Douma encirclement – Operation Wolfpack – Torpedoing of the Hope | |
| Casualties and losses | |
The Endralon Civil War was an attempt by the pretender Joseph Fortenohfiv to wrest the throne of the Kingdom of Endralon from the ruling House of Syldavia. It was the most serious effort by the exiled House of Fortenohfiv to regain the throne. It ended in failure for the Fortenohfivs and the entrenchment of the Syldavian monarchy.
Background[]
Conflict[]
Battle of Syldavia[]
Operation Triumph[]
Edinstvo insurrection[]
The Edinstvo insurrection was an attempt by Fortenohfiv rebels to seize the city of Edinstvo, located in the district of Hugalon. In December 2964, armed Fortenohfiv fighters overwhelmed the garrison defending the local radio station. They swiftly broadcast a call to arms in support of Joseph Fortenohfiv and asked the people in the streets of Edinstvo to build barricades. Elsewhere, rebel fighters occupied government buildings and police stations.
Following the radio broadcast, the mayor of Edinstvo formally switched allegiance to the Fortenohfivs. The partisans in the streets tore down government signs and posters. They attacked any loyalists within sight and seized their weapons. The Syldavians retaliated as best as they could. Soon, over a thousand barricades were erected. Fortenohfiv troops had managed to seize most of the city before the Syldavians could react in force. Loyalist garrisons throughout Edinstvo were surrounded. The insurgents forced many to surrender by cutting off their electricity, water supplies, and telephone wires.
Loyalist forces outside of Edinstvo started to move toward the city in order to relieve their trapped comrades. The secondary objective of these forces was the capture of the railroad and highway communication network. Possession of these vital transportation links would secure free passage eastwards to the rebel stronghold of Douma. Syldavian infantry attempted to recapture the radio station building. As the Syldavians advance ran into significant resistance, both in the building itself and at the barricades in nearby streets, the Syldavians instead decided to destroy the building with the rebels still inside. This attack was a success. However, the Fortenohfivs managed to continue to broadcast their message from another location.
Armoured and artillery units stationed outside of Edinstvo, frustrated by the lack of decisive progress made by the infantry, launched several furious tank attacks on the city defenders. The situation was grave for the rebels. Loyalists started to use their heavy equipment and even air raids were launched on the city. Many historical landmarks were bombed. The resistance had only a few anti-tank weapons to counter Syldavian tanks. In addition, their ammunition was running out. The loyalists gradually overwhelmed the Fortenohfiv fighters and recaptured the city.
Douma encirclement[]
By May 2965, Loyalist commanders could turn their attention to the rebel stronghold of Douma. Syldavian forces began by encircling the city, attempting to seal off escape routes. Thousands of Fortenohfiv fighters were holed up in Douma, a key logistics base in Old Ginbar.
The more immediate threat to Loyalist soldiers were the explosives hidden in the roads and forests of the surrounding countryside. The advance was slowed as soldiers cleared the thicket of mines and bombs hidden in wooded areas and along the roads, and fought off harassment attacks along the way by small bands of guerilla fighters. Attack helicopters fired missiles at a compound near Douma from where rebels had been observing the advancing troops.
Loyalist forces rapidly completed their deployment along the main routes in and out of Douma, leaving the rebels no way out except across bleak, open land where they would easily be spotted. Troops along the edge of the town exchanged fire with rebel forces. Fortenohfiv defenders repeatedly fired rockets and mortars at units poised in foxholes along the edge of the city, in an attempt to lure loyalist forces into battle.
Operation Wolfpack[]
Operation Wolfpack was the codename given to the Loyalist plan to retake the city of Douma, which was captured by the Fortenohfiv's during Operation Triumph. Douma was effectively surrounded by Loyalist forces in May 2965. Establishing checkpoints, they sought to ensure that no Fortenohhiv combatants were able to escape the city. It was believed that several thousand rebel fighters were in Douma. Civilians were encouraged to leave to prevent being caught in the coming battle and an estimated 70-90% of the city's citizens departed. During this time, it was clear that an assault on the city was imminent and the rebels prepared a variety of defences and strong points.
With Douma sealed, operations began in June 2965, when Task Force Wolfpack moved to take objectives on the west of the city. While commandos captured critical locations to cut off any enemy retreat from the city. Task Force Wolfpack backed by air and artillery strikes moved further into the city. Using armour to disrupt Fortenohfiv defences, units were able to effectively attack enemy positions, including the main train station. Though engaged in fierce urban combat, loyalist troops were able to reach Highway 13, which bisects the city. The eastern end of the road was secured shortly thereafter, opening a direct supply line to the capital city, Syldavia.
Despite heavy fighting, Loyalist forces controlled approximately 70% by the end of August. Pressing across Highway 13, units moved through the various residential areas while others assaulted an industrial area in the southeast. By November, military officials claimed that most of the city was under Syldavian control. But heavy fighting continued as forces moved house-to-house eliminating Fortenohfiv resistance. During this process thousands of weapons were found stored in houses, hospitals, and tunnels which connected buildings around the city.
The process of clearing the city was slowed by booby-traps and improvised explosive devices. As a result, in most cases, soldiers only entered buildings after tanks had rammed a hole in a wall or specialists had blasted a door open. By December, government officials announced that Douma had been cleared, but that there were still sporadic episodes of rebel activity.
The fighting in Douma was the most bloody of the Endralon Civil War. The scale of Rebel losses were judged by the Syldavian government to deal a devastating blow the the Fortenohfiv war effort. Though no important Fortenohfiv commanders were captured during the operation, the loss of Douma halted the momentum the rebels had gained by holding the city.
Torpedoing of the Hope[]
The Hope was a rebel-controlled vessel utilised during the civil war as a transport ship. The ship's final voyage was to evacuate sailors, rebel fighters and civilian sympathisers from Endralon to Hulstria. The ship's complement and passenger lists cited 2,050 people on board, but this did not include many civilians who boarded the ship without being recorded in the ship's official embarkation records.
The ship left Endralon in June 2967, accompanied by a passenger liner, also filled with civilians and military personnel, and two torpedo boats. The liner and one torpedo boat developed mechanical problems and could not continue, leaving the Hope with only one escort ship. Against the advice of Fortenohfiv military commanders, the ship's civilian captain decided to head for deep water. The ship was soon sighted by the Incursion, a loyalist attack submarine, which launched three torpedoes at the Hope's port side, hitting it with all three. The first torpedo struck near the port bow. The second torpedo hit just ahead of midships. The third torpedo struck the engine room, cutting off electrical power to the ship.
In the panic that followed, many passengers were trampled in the rush to the lifeboats and life jackets. Many deaths were caused either directly by the torpedoes or by drowning in the onrushing water. Others were crushed in the initial panic on the stairs and decks. Less than 45 minutes after being struck, the Hope went down bow first
As the ship's equipment included weapons and as it was transporting combat troops, it was viewed as a legitimate target. Nevertheless, the sinking provoked severe criticism due to the significant loss of civilian life. The torpedoing of the Hope remains Endralon's worst maritime tragedy and became symbolic of the ruthlessness and ferociousness that characterised the Endralon Civil War.