Holy Roman War (Night of the Living Alternate History Map Game)

The Holy Roman War, also known by the Scandinavians as the Nordic War, or the German-Nordic Conflict, was a major conflict that began in 1992. The war was fought primarily between Scandinavia and the Holy Roman Empire, led by Austria.

The war began when Scandinavia invaded the province of Schleswig-Holstein to annex the nation of Nordic Germany, which declared its independence from Scandinavia's influence earlier that year. The states of northern Germany interpreted this invasion of German land as a precursor to further German division, and sought to liberate Nordic Germany to lay the foundations for German unification.

Austria, backed by its allies from the Italian War joined the Holy Roman Empire and Nordic Germany. The CSTO, which had members on both sides of the war, feared that it would be pulled apart from the inside from internal conflicts if it chose to pick a side in the conflict, and therefore attempted to remain neutral. Despite this, Russia and many other nations of the CSTO would secretly aid the Scandinavians, sending supplies to the military cause.

Chronology
Most historians agree that the war officially began on 20 February 1992 with the declaration from Scandinavia. Some people place the date earlier to the declaration of independence from Nordic Germany, which caused violence to begin much sooner than 20 February. Another popular date used is the 2 March invasion of Nordic Germany by Scandinavia.

Background
The nation of Nordic Germany was declared from several survivor communities in Schleswig-Holstein, with the most predominate being in the city of Kiel. In 1991 the nation was secured from infection and internal conflict, and a democratic government was formed in Kiel. Nordic Germany would later lay claim to almost all of Northern Germany, which infuriated and worried many citizens of the Holy Roman Empire, which believed that by having Nordic Germany annex more German states it would cause a division between north and south. Some Germans even called for military intervention to protect the north.

Nordic Germany would construct a number of defenses near the northern border, including Fort Brandt, a large military facility along Route A7. They would also rebuild and modernize the Danevirke at the north of their border, turning the forgotten earthworks into a modern defense system.

Civil War
On 20 February 1992 the nation of Scandinavia declared war on the nation of Nordic Germany, which had declared its independence from Scandinavia's influence earlier that year. Scandinavia claimed that the government of Nordic Germany was a rebellious faction, and must be invaded and annexed to end opposition. A puppet government in the province of Schleswig-Holstein, also collectively known as Nordic Germany, was created by pro-Scandinavian officers and Loyalists, and were immediately pushed out of Kiel by the independent Republic of Nordic Germany.

Violence broke out among the Loyalist and Separatist Nordic Germans, resulting in a few dozen deaths in Kiel and in large towns. The Loyalist and Scandinavian garrison at Fort Brandt rebelled against the majority of the fort, which was controlled by Separatists, breaking into a bloody hand-to-hand fight in the corridors of the fort. The Scandinavians, who were heavily outnumbered, eventually abandoned the fort and fled in secret over the Danevirke and into Jutland.

The Danish and Loyalist forces who made it to the Scandinavian line in Jutland were ordered to apply the pressure to the Separatists fro the north. It was believed by Danish intelligence that with a strong army they could easily cross into Nordic Germany and end the war within a few weeks. 8,000 Danish and Loyalist soldiers were amassed north of the border in preparation for the invasion. In the invasion force is the Jydske Dragonregiment, an armoured infantry regiment of the Royal Danish Army, as well as the Sjællandske Livregiment, from the Confederation of the Baltics.

The Danish charged at the border, meeting the entrenched force of about 20,000 Separatists. The Separatists, who were fully entrenched in the modern Danevirke, devastated the Danish army. Armor was blindly ordered into the center column to bombard the defenses, but were targeted by Separatist artillery. The machine gun entrenchments along the line were especially harmful to the infantry, pinning down the Danish far from the line.

By the end of the Battle of the Danevirke approximately 1,300 Danish of the original 8,000 are killed, while several hundred more are wounded. Several of the invaders' Leopard 2A5DK tanks are completely destroyed or damaged. The defenders have approximately 700 dead and 2,000 wounded from the attack, although numbers are unclear. During the battle large portions of the Danevirke would also be damaged or destroyed.

The Danish ordered a general retreat and fell back to the north. Unknown to the Danish at the time, the Separatists were heavily weakened. Along the Danevirke disease and lack of supplies gripped many Separatist soldiers. Several Separatist officers were killed, and the defense along the border fell to ruin.

The government of Nordic Germany displayed the conflict at the border as a triumphant victory, although in reality the border was loosely held by the Separatist army. The statistics and reports from the invasion prompted the main Scandinavian army to decide against a land invasion through Jutland, instead deciding to attempt a naval landing near Kiel. Although the landing would most likely be very costly, a plan was approved by the Scandinavian high command to land ground forces near Lütjenburg, and then march toward Kiel.

Scandinavian Invasion
With the plan for invasion ready, soldiers in the north were prepared to be deployed in Nordic Germany. On the morning of 2 March 1992 the Scandinavian landing force was dropped on the shores of Nordic Germany to moderate resistance from inland. Over the course of the entire operation 200,000 Scandinavian soldiers entered the coastline, meeting the Nordic German defenses.

With attention turned toward the Danevirke, the military of Nordic Germany was left unprepared for the Scandinavian invasion. Along the coast the main garrison of about 30,000 Nordic Germans was stationed in the capital city of Kiel. The next largest garrison was at the city of Heiligenhafen to the east, which was ordered west to meet the Scandinavians.

With the combined forces of Heiligenhafen and the stationed coast defenders, the Nordic German army numbered approximately 20,000 soldiers. The Scandinavians were able to quickly push toward Panker and eventually cornered the defenders at Lütjenburg, between Lake Selenter and the Sea. The Scandinavians easily took the coastline, and eventually Lütjenburg was abandoned and taken by the invaders. In the entire landing approximately 2,800 Scandinavians were killed, while another 12,000 were wounded. The Nordic Germans would suffer approximately 2,000 deaths and 3,000 wounded.

With Lütjenburg secured the Scandinavians advanced east toward Heiligenhafen after the retreating defenders. Scandinavian strategists hoped that by cornering the last of the defenders at Heiligenhafen they would be forced into Fehmarn and trapped. After a devastating battle at Heiligenhafen in which the defenders faced complete annihilation or surrender, Nordic German trade ships and German ships from Lübeck managed to ferry a large portion of the army from the island.

The Scandinavians were unaware of this and engaged the remaining defenders at Fehmarn. After a heavy naval bombardment of the island, the remaining 1,000 soldiers surrendered to the Scandinavians. Of the original 20,000 defenders approximately 1,200 were killed at the initial landing, 4,400 were killed at Heiligenhafen, and 1,000 were captured. The remaining 8,400 battered Nordic Germans would march back north toward Kiel.