Charlottesborg Mutiny
| Charlottesborg Mutiny | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Volscine Civil War | |||||||
 Rebel CAP-80 tanks advance in Charlottesborg | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Committee for Justice and Salvation |
 Kingdom of Cryria | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Auro Panariello |
Ludvig of House Leidensen | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
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|
4th Fighter Wing | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
6,000-7,000 mutineers |
100 Flygbasjägarna | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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300+ rebels |
9 soldiers killed, 40 wounded | ||||||
| *Majority of 55,000 strong Ducal Guard remains nominally loyal | |||||||
The Charlottesborg Mutiny was an armed conflict that took place within the Duchy of Charlottesborg during the early months of the Volscine Civil War. The Mutiny began when a faction within the Ducal Guard organized as the Committee for Justice and Salvation attempted a coup d'etat against the ruling House of Reitz and other ducal institutions. They attempted to seize control of several locations in the city of Charlottesborg, but failed to do so after meeting resistance from loyalist units. The Committee cited the government's economic mismanagement, ethnic favoritism, and supposed abandonment of the Volscine nation as reasons for the Mutiny. The ducal government alleged that the mutineers were linked to communist factions in the civil war, though the Committee neither requested nor received significant support during its short-lived uprising.
Background
The Duchy of Charlottesborg is one of many semi-autonomous Volscine constituent states, and is unique due to its Cryrian-speaking population and ethnically Cryrian majority. The Duchy has historically been seen as an outsider in Volscine politics particularly after its role in bringing the Cryrian Queen Katharine onto the Volscine throne in the early 20th century. This position was accentuated after the ascension of Duchess Louisa Reitz in early 2002. Louisa herself was originally from the Cryrian branch of her family and had been born and raised within the Kingdom before being adopted as heir to the Duchy by the childless Duchess Miriam. Her sister, Helena Reitz, was also the Cryrian Foreign Minister at the time and would go on to play a central role in relations between the two governments. As such, the outbreak of the Volscine Civil War in 2002 created a complicated situation for the Duchy. With few strong ties to any of the major belligerent factions, the Duchy opted for a neutral stance in the conflict, a decision that proved highly popular.
Even so, the impacts of the war were quick to reach Charlottesborg. The loss of trade and economic support from the rest of the former Confederation caused severe shortages in every sector across the Duchy. The situation was worsened as the Ducal Guard was forced to mobilize large numbers of reservists into the Territorial Defense Forces to secure its new borders and maintain order. The government increasingly began to prioritize the Duchy's most heavily Cryrian regions from which it drew most of its support, thus creating a dangerous ethnic division between Cryrians and Volscines. In a bid to salvage the situation, the Duchy appealed to the Cryrian government first for military assistance and later proposed an annexation into the Kingdom.
However, Cryria itself had entered dire economic straits due to the Civil War, and was also in a state of political paralysis due to an ongoing snap election during the early weeks of the conflict. A surprise Conservative victory and the establishment of the Marlberg Government stabilized the situation in Leidenstad, but relations between the Kingdom and the Duchy remained difficult. Charlottesborg's conscription order had also come with an exit ban on all Charlottesborgers, including dual-citizens and family members of Cryrian expatriates. This had immensely complicated efforts to evacuate Cryrian nationals from Volscina, especially as the Cryrian Ministry of Immigration failed to quickly provide the Foreign Ministry with approval to evacuate the non-Cryrian families of expatriates.
Though the Duchy received limited covert support by the Cryrian intelligence agencies - Which was later revealed to have included deployments of the CID's Direct Action Group - it's requests for substantial military aid were denied by the Cryrian government. The Duchy is alleged to have subsequently attempted to use the remaining Cryrian nationals within its borders as leverage against Leidenstad, a fact which deeply soured relations between the two parties. In an effort to avoid deeper entanglements in the Civil War and to protect Volscine territorial integrity, Leidenstad also publicly disavowed any notion that Charlottesborg could be annexed into the Kingdom. These decisions taken together badly weakened the Ducal government's position and also alienated portions of the population who still saw themselves as part of the Volscine nation or otherwise believed they were being neglected by the government's policies.
Anti-government sentiment was particularly strong in the 73rd Infantry Brigade which was commanded by Brigadgeneral Auro Panariello. Panariello himself was known to hold strong loyalties to the now-defunct Confederation and was popular among both his men and ethnic Volscines at large. This caused no small amount of concern among the Guard's leadership and the civilian government. On October 6, Duchess Reitz sent Panariello a personal order relieving him of command and summoning him back to the capital. The Brigadgeneral delayed, and a tense standoff arose as loyalist units from the 1st Infantry Brigade moved to protect the city of Charlottesborg. Although open violence would not commence until October 21 and back-channel negotiations between the Duchess and Panariello continued over the following weeks, this moment is broadly seen as the first act of the Mutiny.
Events
The Sargos Riots
Increasingly severe food shortages had begun to directly impact elements of the Ducal Guard, particularly the large numbers of conscripts that had been drawn up to maintain security in the early weeks of the war. The Guard was further unable to dismiss conscripts for fear that many of them might simply retain their weapons and turn to banditry once they lost their military rations. Starting in October, the Duchy implemented harsh rationing across the civilian population with strict new measures against the hoarding of food. These regulations were enforced not just by the regular Gendarmerie, but also by conscripted soldiers who were poorly trained for this role and increasingly ill-disciplined. Instances of violent behavior by Guards personnel seizing illicit food stockpiles were reported as early as October 10.
On October 10, a group of soldiers identified as members of the 13th Territorial Brigade raided shopkeeper's house in the town of Sargos on smuggling and hoarding charges. According to official reports, the shopkeeper - Menardo Amodei - Threatened the Guardsmen with a firearm, and both he, his wife, and his son were killed in the subsequent exchange. This story conflicts with eyewitness reports which suggest that Menardo and his family were executed after failing to adequately bribe the soldiers in exchange for his continued illicit operations. That Menardo's 12-year old son was found hanging from his house's moving hook seems to support the claim that the Guardsmen had been running a protection racket in Sargos and were retaliating against noncompliant locals.
Tensions had already been high in Sargos. The centrally located town of 85,000 was the largest Norvian-speaking community in the Duchy, which felt increasingly alienated and abused by the Duchess' government. The sudden killings followed by a failure to punish the soldiers in question resulted in mass protests that soon devolved into riots in the face of a crackdown by the Guard. Several government buildings were seized, and the local Gendarmerie headquarters were burned. In response, Brigadgeneral Panariello announced that the 73rd Infantry Brigade would be moving to restore order in Sargos irrespective of Charlottesborg's orders. Elements of the 73rd had already been in a state of heightened alert, and forces loyal to Panariello quickly arrived in Sargos. Local units of the 13th Territorial Brigade were caught off-guard and were not aware that the 73rd had effectively gone rogue. They were swiftly disarmed without resistance, and Panariello personally arrived in Sargos to calm the situation soon afterwards. Order had been largely restored by the end of October 20.
October 20-21
Declaration of a Mutiny
With his forces now acting in open defiance of the Duchess, Panariello had effectively committed himself to a revolt. The 73rd controlled a pacified Sargos, which offered both a strategic location and a base of popular legitimacy. On October 21, Panariello announced his intention to topple the House of Reitz in the name of the Volscine Confederation.
"It is with deepest regrets and a heavy heart that I must take it upon myself to inform you of the dire circumstances that now befall our homeland. Many of you who know me, know me Brigadgeneral Auro Panariello. But today I speak not as an officer of the Guard or a soldier, but as one loyal son of Volscina among many. In these past weeks we have seen our country rent apart by division, war, and treachery. We may even have lost our shared nationhood. We were to be led through this maelstrom by none other than Louisa Reitz, a woman who claims a right to rule by blood and blood alone."
"What has Louisa Reitz brought us, in these past weeks? Division, hunger, and repression. In Sargos, families go hungry and are shot for the privilege. Our children are drafted into the ranks of the Guard while our elderly are denied escape. Our own Duchess courts her Cryrian masters as she seeks to return us all to the embrace of Queen Katharine’s cursed line. Louisa Reitz has betrayed the Confederation and it has now become incumbent upon the Volscine people to see justice done and order restored. As of this broadcast, the men and women of the 73rd Infantry Brigade no longer recognize Louisa Reitz as the legitimate ruler of Charlottesborg and will proceed to enact her lawfully mandated arrest. We call upon all soldiers and civilians of Charlottesborg to recall their oaths and shared nationhood in this trying moment and to stand firm against this treason that is leveled against us."
"Per Sempre Vittorioso!"
Brigadgeneral Auro Panariello, 21 October, 2002
The Committee for Justice and Salvation was formed as a provisional government in Sargos immediately after the declaration, with Panariello as its President. Despite the invocation of the Volscine Confederation, Panariello never requested assistance from outside the Duchy. It is believed that he sought to strengthen his own position by capturing Charlottesborg himself before negotiating a favorable reentry to the Confederation.
Capture of Charlottesborg International
Among the Mutiny's first open supporters was Korkova Air Base, home to both the 121st Helicopter Squadron and the Guard Special Operations Group. Shortly before the official declaration, elements of the Special Operations Group launched a pre-dawn heliborne assault on Charlottesborg International Airport, the Duchy's primary aerodrome located on its western outskirts. Many of the units assigned to the airport had defected to the Mutiny, and Charlottesborg International fell within an hour. Reinforcements were quickly flown in to secure the rest of the facilities. Much of the airport had been rendered inactive by the ban on departures, and the few civilians which remained in the terminals were forced to leave. The airport's military enclave put up a spirited resistance but was ultimately stormed by the Mutineers. Most of the Duchy's air wing was found to be in an inoperable state from the confused fighting.
The assault on the Airport is considered to be evidence that the Mutiny was not a spontaneous event but rather a carefully planned coup which had simply found its moment in the Sargos Riots.
Advance on Charlottesborg
Units belonging to the 73rd Infantry Brigade had similarly begun moving prior to Panariello's declaration. Two battalions worth of troops had been dispatched towards the city of Charlottesborg with orders to link up with the forces advancing out of the airport and seize control of the capital. Spirits among the Mutiny were reportedly high when the success of the airport assault and Panariello apparently believed that he had enough support among the local territorials to ensure that there would be no resistance. In reality, several officers he was relying on had already come under suspicion and were swiftly arrested following the events at Sargos, while professional soldiers of the 1st Brigade were present in larger than expected numbers. While events at the airport had created confusion among Loyalist units, the armed columns approaching the city were quickly spotted by forward observers. Brigadgeneral Ravel Granqvist elected to ignore orders from the Duchess to give the Mutineers a final chance to return to their barracks, and instead opened up with his artillery. The advancing units' own lack of preparedness created an initial state of disarray and brought the assault from the south to a halt after making initial contact with the Loyalist forces.
Panariello's supporters within the city remained unaware of this reality however, and the Loyalists themselves were caught off guard by the sudden loss of Charlottesborg International. The rebel forces at the airport were falsely believed to have received large-scale reinforcements and were thus seen as a serious threat. Meanwhile, fighting had broken out inside isolated districts of the city as the remaining territorial forces loyal to Panariello had launched their own uprising in anticipation of the 73rd's arrival. To make matters worse, Panariello's appeal to Volscine nationalism had been successful in generating popular demonstrations in what should have been otherwise secure areas. The Mutineers had expected the territorials and the demonstrations along with the fall of the airport to paralyze the city and allow the 73rd to enter peacefully, but the display of resistance shattered these hopes.
Other Events
In the eastern town of Elbjerg, thirty members of the Gendarmerie were arrested on suspicion of supporting the coup.
A company of soldiers from the 73rd were dispatched to secure the centrally located village of Kotrina, which lay upon an important railway route into the capital. Upon arriving however, the rebel soldiers heard of the failed advance on Charlottesborg and defected to join forces with the local Gendarmerie.
In the western town of Lisis, the local Gendarmerie station was surrounded by rebel forces in the morning of the 21st, and surrendered shortly afterwards. The Mutineers in Lisis were later strafed by three Örn 105Gs and faced attacks from Loyalist territorial forces soon afterwards.
In the Grimdal suburb of Charlottesborg, the Charlottesborg Broadcasting Station's headquarters were briefly seized by territorials rising up within the city. However, the building was quickly surrounded by Gendarmerie, and the rebels surrendered upon hearing that the 73rd had failed to enter the city.
Rebel units at the southern Tellale Barracks were besieged by a mix of Gendarmerie and Loyalist Guards. Six Loyalists and one rebel were killed in a brief exchange of fire.
Local Gendarmerie in the coastal town of Antgeva were expected to support the coup, and handpicked officers from the 73rd arrived to arrest the civilian government and take control of the administration. However, news of the failure to capture Charlottesborg reached first, and and the rebel officers were arrested upon their arrival.
A company of territorials in the coastal town of Salnai who initially proclaimed their support for the coup re-declared their support for the Duchess after hearing of the failure to take the capital.
October 22
By the morning of the 22nd, the situation around Charlottesborg had entered a highly fluid state. The advance elements of the 73rd Brigade were busy regrouping outside the city, while the Loyalist defenders busied themselves with putting down the uprising on the streets. The Special Operations Group at Charlottesborg International fended off probing assaults against their position. On the morning of the 22nd, the Ducal government issued its first public statement of the conflict.
"Over the past months we have fought valiantly to maintain peace and security within the sea of bloodshed that has overtaken our nation. Twenty-four hours ago, a small minority within the Ducal Guard attempted to bring the same warfare that tears Volscina apart into our own homes. This is an insurrection instigated by power-hungry elements who believe that in chaos they may seize control of our fair Duchy for their own ends. To this end they have brought tanks and soldiers onto our streets, against the people themselves."
"I appear today to assure you that it is my intention and the intention of this Government to see that the rule of law is upheld in Charlottesborg and that this attempt against our unity and solidarity does not go unpunished. Already, the insurgents' attempt to capture myself and my government has failed in the face of valiant resistance by the Guard, and their efforts to seize our capital have been equally fruitless. We are resolved to fight on until this coup is quelled and order is restored."
"To those who have raised arms against the people of Charlottesborg, I now address you directly. Your leaders have failed you and lied to you. Your advances have been turned back, and already hundreds of your fellow soldiers have surrendered or abandoned your cause. You will now face a choice - To lay down your arms and receive clemency in turn, or to continue this war of your choosing and in doing so accept no quarter. Your fellow citizens await your answer."
Duchess Louisa Reitz, 22 October, 2002
While the call to surrender did not have any immediate effect beyond those defections already witnessed the previous day, the statement affirmed the continued operation of the government and the failure of the coup to meet its initial objectives.
Bombing at Sargos
As the Committee for Justice and Salvation sought to assess the situation, the Guard's last scraps of airpower were brought into play. While the remnants of the Volscine Air Force that it had inherited were now either lost at Charlottesborg International or otherwise in rebel hands, the Guard still operated nine Cryrian-built Örn 105G trainer aircraft, which had continued to receive servicing and support during the Civil War. These aircraft had been based at the Silkelev Air Base and offered a limited attack capability. Though relatively rudimentary, the Loyalists benefitted from a lack of opposition in the air and the lack of effective air defenses available to the rebels.
Loyalist sources had previously reported that the Committee was using municipal offices in Sargos as a headquarters, and the location was now targeted by four 105Gs equipped with Rb 05 guided missiles. Just prior to takeoff, the target was instead changed to a previously unknown mobile command center that had been set up outside the town. Numerous casualties were inflicted, and among the injured was Auro Panariello who had been present at the time. Though the Brigadgeneral initially survived, he was incapacitated and rendered unable to command.
.Panariello's injuries made it apparent that the coup was beginning to come undone. It was already clear that the Committee's expectation of minimal resistance had not panned out and resulted in the failure to seize objectives in the city of Charlottesborg. While some important targets such as the airport had fallen, the Ducal government remained intact and in control of most of the capital. Many units and officers whose loyalty had been relied on were now under arrest or had simply elected not to act, and the spate of defections was placing the coup in serious jeopardy. The fact that the Loyalists had known where to strike also raised serious questions.
Panariello had apparently opened up discussions with the Cryrian Foreign Ministry on the 21st in order to win assurances of noninterference in exchange for offering safe passage to Cryrian citizens caught in Charlottesborg. At the time it had seemed likely that the coup would succeed, and it was considered surprising by the Committee when in the face of mounting failures Panariello had been contacted for a second round of discussions. According to interviews given by surviving members of the Committee after the Mutiny, Panariello had been speaking with the Foreign Ministry via satellite phone at the time when the strike took place, and it had been the subsequent belief of the Committee that the Cryrian Intelligence Directorate had used the call to locate Panariello for the Loyalists. That Cryrian-built aircraft had been used in the attack added symbolic weight to the belief that Leidenstad was now involving itself in the struggle, and suspicions continued to mount.
Later revelations that the CID's Direct Action Group had been embedded with loyalist units in Charlottesborg have since added weight to suggestions of Cryrian involvement, though there is no indication that the CIDDAG had played a role in the assassination.
Fighting Within Charlottesborg
The second day of operations within the capital had begun with another Örn 105G strike against rebel positions at Charlottesborg International using unguided rockets, which did little damage due to poor targeting.
While the Mutiny lost its cohesiveness elsewhere, the professional core of the 73rd remained intact and motivated, and its commanders believed that the city's defenders were still otherwise occupied. Indeed, the Loyalists had been forced to put down demonstrations throughout the night and parts of the city were still in rebel hands. The 73rd meanwhile had reorganized and renewed its advance, swiftly moving into the southern Lekhalsen suburb and then pushing for the Salnai District to open a direct route to the airport.
Storming of the Cryrian Consulate General
The Cryrian Consulate in Charlottesborg had been established in 1835 and is considered to be one of the Kingdom's most important consular missions. After the outbreak of the Volscine Civil War, the Consulate had become the last Cryrian diplomatic outpost in Volscina and played an important role in both intelligence gathering and maintaining communications with the government of Charlottesborg amidst complicated negotiations between the two governments. The Consulate's usual staff of 25 had grown with the addition of 13 State Protection Service agents to provide security at the outset of the war. At the time of the Mutiny, the Consulate was still headed by Consul-General Mikael Maravel, but much of the staff under him had changed in what is believed to be a reflection of an expanded intelligence-gathering presence.
The Consulate was initially undisturbed by the fighting and had accepted another thirty Cryrian citizens seeking shelter from the conflict on the streets. However, the Consulate lacked the resources or capacity to provide assistance to the vast majority of the roughly three-hundred Cryrian citizens still in Charlottesborg or their families. One of the Consulate's final dispatches to Leidenstad reported "Very disturbing indications that insurgent activity within Charlottesborg is beginning to target our citizens. Individuals at Charlottesborg International who were bearing Cryrian passports have been detained rather than merely expelled along with the other civilians present, and we have not received any contact regarding their fate. Those arriving at the Consulate today also report that Cryrian nationals are being targeted in the streets."
Cryrian nationals had indeed been detained at Charlottesborg International, ostensibly for their own safety and likely with the intention of using their presence as leverage in Panariello's discussions with Leidenstad. The specific targeting of Cryrian nationals within rebel-held areas of the city had begun on the 22nd in response to swiftly spreading rumors of Panariello's assassination, purportedly by Cryrian intelligence agents. The Consulate's position became more tenuous due to its location in the Narvere District which had fallen under the control of mutinying territorial forces. Gunfights were still ongoing in the area on the 22nd, and a group of rebel officers were killed by sniper fire near the consulate building. Later analysis indicated that they had probably been targeted from the opposite side of the street, but at the time the incident further established the belief that the Consulate's diplomatic status was being actively abused for military purposes. With the Mutiny's command structure in an increasingly confused and disorganized state, local commanders elected to take matters into their own hands.
On the afternoon of October 22nd, an envoy claiming to represent the Committee arrived at the Consulate. He identified himself as Kapten Gösta Edström and demanded that the Consulate staff surrender themselves to rebel custody. Edström claimed that members of the diplomatic mission would be escorted to Charlottesborg International Airport and placed on flights back to Cryria - Though at this time the airport was still cut off from other rebel forces. The Consul General further noted that Edström had offered little evidence that he actually represented the Committee's wishes, and that the Consulate would effectively be surrendered into the hands of an unknown party which was already in considerable disarray. Maravel pressed for time in order to contact Leidenstad for orders, and according to surviving eyewitnesses Edström "Departed in a fury" at the rejection.
Approximately half an hour later, a full company of soldiers was seen arriving and encircling the consulate. The demand to surrender was reiterated, but shots were heard soon afterwards. These likely originated from another skirmish that had broken out nearby, but the Mutineers quickly opened fire on the Consulate with their armored vehicles. A building fire broke out with catastrophic consequences due to how packed the Consulate had become. The assailants were slow to cease their fire and the Cryrian government later accused them of gunning down civilians as they sought to escape. Ultimately all sixty-four occupants perished either from the immediate assault or from injuries that did not receive adequate medical attention.
The sight of the burning Consulate set off a frenzy in both Charlottesborg and Leidenstad. Initially the Committee released confused and contradictory statements, first claiming that the Consulate had been used to support the Loyalists and later claiming that the attack had been the result of an accidental escalation by local commanders who had overstepped their boundaries. The deaths of so many Cryrian nationals and the destruction of a diplomatic outpost caused a outrage, condemnations, and calls for action in Cryria which the Duchy quickly sought to capitalize on.
Operation Caroline
The destruction of the Consulate and the death of so many Cryrians caused an immediate backlash in Leidenstad. While the Marlberg Government remained wary of risking an intervention into the conflict, mounting political pressure effectively forced its hand. An initial statement was released on the night of the 22nd:
"In the past hours you may have heard reports regarding the grave situation in Charlottesborg where our consulate has been subjected to a planned and deliberate attack and more than sixty of our fellow citizens have been killed in cold blood. It is my regret to verify the truth of these reports."
"On the day of October 22nd, 2002, mutinous forces in Charlottesborg launched an unprovoked and deadly assault on our civilians. The victims were diplomats, expatriates, exchange students, and dozens of others who had come to Charlottesborg in a time of peace only to be caught there in a time of war. They were targeted for no reason save for the rabidity of the terrorist movement which has seen fit to tear apart a peaceful territory in order to achieve its own ambitions. Our first thoughts must go to the families of those lost in this senseless act of violence."
"This criminal action has not only struck at the Kingdom but also at the heart of the international norms of diplomacy which all nations rely upon. We as such call upon the international community's support in our efforts to bring the perpetrators of this indiscriminate violation to justice."
"With the clear collapse of governance throughout the former Volscine Confederation, it now falls to this Government to utilize all diplomatic and if necessary military means at its disposal to ensure the safety of Cryrian citizens who remain caught in the conflict. There are no doubt many among you who even now still anxiously await news of friends and loved ones. Is the unfortunate nature of my position that I can only assure you that their safe return remains our highest priority."
"You may hear many things in the days to come as the situation on the ground evolves and we commit ourselves towards the protection of Cryrian lives abroad and continue to grapple with the impacts of the conflict at home. In these difficult times I call upon the steadfast and orderly spirit that has held our nation together in its darkest moments. Today we face the test of our time, but it is an old test, one in which we have prevailed time and again through our strength and faith. Today we are shocked but composed, mourning but determined. Cryria shall rise to this challenge as she rose for a thousand others."
"En Eveight Till!"
- Prime Minister Charles Marlberg, 22 October, 2002
An emergency National Security Committee meeting was held in Karsholm Palace on the 22nd, and by the 23rd it had been all but decided that the CDF would launch a limited operation to retrieve remaining Cryrian citizens in Charlottesborg. However, this plan was quickly faced with stark obstacles.
The situation in Charlottesborg had become increasingly complicated and confused, in no small part due to the large numbers of poorly disciplined and often desperate territorial forces that filled the ranks of the Ducal Guard. The mutineers had further found their command decapitated and were struggling to reorganize, while the loyalists themselves were still struggling to regain control of the situation in the city. Neither the Cryrian government nor the Duchy have released information on their discussions during this time, but an agreement was ultimately reached to allow for a joint operation that would both damage the rebels and allow for an evacuation.
It is known that Leidenstad also reached out to remnants of the Volscine Confederation and the newly forming Volscine Empire in order to offer assurances that it would not seek to involve itself further in the conflict beyond the evacuation. The Confederation rejected any notion of Cryrian involvement on what it still considered to be sovereign Volscine territory, while the Empire agreed to provide its approval. This ultimately led to Leidenstad recognizing the Empire as the legitimate Volscine government, thus legitimizing the operation.
The military options available to the CDF were also highly constrained While units stationed in southern Cryria were already in a heightened state of readiness due to the conflict, the CDF lacked the ability to project significant amounts of force across even the relatively short distance to Charlottesborg. Planning for a possible intervention to evacuate Cryrian civilians had taken place prior to the mutiny and had revealed the heavy risks that would come with action. Initial proposals to gain access through the Port of Charlottesborg had been scrapped after it became apparent that the area had fallen within rebel artillery and mortar range. It was ultimately determined that Cryrian objectives would be centered on the more isolated Charlottesborg International Airport, a decision which some sources suggest that the Duchy itself had pressured Leidenstad into as it lacked resources to retake the rebel-held facilities there on its own. The CDF believed that it could sustain a brief airborne incursion to secure the airport and allow for an evacuation.
Capture of Charlottesborg International
October 23-24
Charlottesborg International Airport had previously been captured by the Guards Special Operations Group, initially numbering around 200. However, the unit had been prepared for a swift coup, rather than the extended conflict that was now unfolding. Rebel forces at the airport had been unable to swiftly link up with the other mutineers entering Charlottesborg, and instead remained cut off. Resupply from the air had also become impossible after the opening stages of the uprising due to loyalist control over the city's air defenses. Örn 105Gs also struck Korkova Air Base on the 23rd, destroying the only sizable fixed wing transport available to the rebels. The GSOG had also faced intermittent attacks from the loyalist forces in Charlottesborg, and while these had failed to retake the airport they had caused heavy attrition and left the rebels short of ammunition.
The airport's defenders had anticipated a possible attempt to retake the facility and had placed makeshift obstacles on the runways to prevent hostile aircraft from landing on it. As such, the initial capture of the airport would require a parachute drop by the Flygbasjägarna, a special forces unit belonging to the Cryrian Air Force. According to post-war statements by the Ducal Guard, elements of the CID Direct Action Group which had been present in Charlottesborg since before the Mutiny were tasked with providing ground-side support for the air operations and coordinating local loyalist units that would assist in retaking the airport.
Operation Caroline - So named after the historical Queen Charlotte's chief general - Began at 1:00 am on October 24 with a flurry of activity around the Talvere Defense Area. Aircraft were launched from multiple bases on the island - Two transports to deliver the FBJ paratroopers, a squadron of JAS 39A Gripen from the 4th Fighter Wing, and an Örn 2000 AEW&C to provide support. CIDDAG forward air controllers guided in a series of airstrikes by the Gripens against the rebel positions at the airport just ahead of the FBJ parachute drop. The RCRAF would continue to provide air cover and protection for flights to and from Charlottesborg International for the remainder of the operation, although it performed no further combat operations.
The battle for the airport began inauspiciously with one Cryrian paratrooper injured in the jump. The operation further suffered from the poor quality of the roughly 800 infantry provided by the Ducal Guard which had advanced on the airport in tandem with the Cryrian attacks. Cryrian commanders had planned around this expectation and largely relied on the FBJ to seize the most difficult objectives. After an hour of fierce fighting five Cryrians had been killed and another ten wounded - Severe losses for the FBJ, which was a highly specialized unit with a strength of around a hundred. The airport's defenders were able to withdraw in good order to its military enclave. Minister for Defense Rolf Lindgren later remarked on the opening stages of Caroline:
The Cryrians deemed the remaining rebels incapable of threatening the runways and were unwilling to risk further losses by completely clearing the airport. The enclave was instead picketed by the Guardsmen while the FBJ hastened to remove the obstructions on the runways - At one point even hotwiring vehicles that had been positioned as makeshift barricades.
As soon as the runways were clear the first reinforcing transports began to land. These brought with them a full infantry battalion of the Foreign Legion under the command of Överste Daksh Thakre to establish the Cryrian foothold at the airport. The earlier parachute assault and subsequent airlift placed considerable strain upon Cryrian airlift capabilities, and preparations had been made to requisition additional transports from civilian airfleets such as Royal Cryrian Airways, though this ultimately did not prove necessary at this stage.
Intermittent exchanges of fire at the airport continued throughout the remainder of the 24th.
October 25
Charlottesborg International was not fully cleared until October 25, when the newly arrived Foreign Legion spearheaded a push against the Military Enclave. The remaining defenders - Some fifty in all - quickly surrendered. Guardsmen partaking in the operation ]demanded the summary execution of the prisoners on grounds that as terrorists they were unlawful combatants who were not protected by the customs of war. This was rejected by Thakre, who feared that such an action would draw further Volscine ire against the Cryrian detachment in Charlottesborg. A furious argument broke out and reportedly came to physical blows when Sandell ordered that the prisoners be flown back to Cryria on a departing transport. Thakre later remarked on the confrontation at a Riksdag hearing after the Operation:
Evacuation
October 26
By the end of October 25, Charlottesborg International was fully secured by the joint Cryrian-Charlottesborger forces. Events during and after the seizure of the airport had badly damaged relations between the two forces however, and would continue to plague the remainder of the operation. Many of the remaining Cryrian citizens in the Duchy were believed to be sheltering at the University of Charlottesborg campus as either students or faculty. However, many others had been at the airport when the coup had begun and had been forced to leave when the rebels seized the facility. These individuals, among others, were effectively scattered and their locations were unknown to the CDF.
The Cryrian government had made arrangements with the Loyalists for their assistance in retrieving and transporting Cryrian citizens to the airport in exchange for Cryrian arms and supplies. Leidenstad was expected to begin flying in light equipment before any evacuation took place, and it is further believed that heavy equipment had also been promised if the Duchy managed to sufficiently secure and restore the Port of Charlottesborg to allow for its shipment. According to remarks made by Defense Minister Lindgren, "Every airplane leaving Charlottesborg had to first come bearing gifts."
Additionally, based on the actions and performance of the Ducal Guard, commanders in Leidenstad elected to dispatch the 1st Infantry Battalion of the Foreign Legion to reinforce the 2nd and to provide greater oversight for the evacuation. The 1st had already been on standby for this purpose, and arrived on October 26th.
In order to support this force, facilitate the evacuation, and deliver the promised armaments to the Duchy, the CDF made use of cargo and passenger aircraft belonging to the government-owned Royal Cryrian Airways. Further plans had been made to use the Mobilization Act to requisition other Cryrian-registered aircraft if needed, but these were ultimately not carried out.
Throughout October 26, Charlottesborg International received a steady stream of prepared supplies and reinforcements. Elsewhere in the Duchy, the situation had also begun to stabilize. Loyalist forces now fully held the initiative, particularly as the Ducal government fostered rumors that Cryrian forces would assist in retaking the rest of Charlottesborg and that large-scale RCRAF bombing was soon to begin. The Mutineers remained in a state of disarray following Panariello's death, and began to surrender in several key areas after the morale blow of foreign intervention. Many officers and units that had remained on the sidelines also now aligned with the Loyalists, and it was expected that significant opposition would dissolve within a week. It is believed that Cryrian air reconnaissance was used to support the Loyalists and that CIDDAG units continued to assist in operations on the ground, but neither have ever been confirmed by the Cryrian government.
October 27
By October 27, the city of Charlottesborg was effectively secured, and operations began to extract Cryrian citizens from the University. Although Cryrian forces had arrived with few vehicles, they serendipitously found the airport's fleet of shuttles and buses to be intact. This led to a change of plans where Cryrian forces would play a much more direct role in the extraction than previously anticipated, in part because the Ducal Guard was now seen as increasingly dangerous and unreliable. Cryrian soldiers who partook in the operation later stated that the Guardsmen present at the airport had begun demanding to know if they would be evacuated from the wartorn Duchy as well. Leidenstad however was required to reject any such requests in order to avoid alienating or weakening the Ducal government. To make matters worse, large numbers of Charlottesborgers who were not authorized for evacuation had begun to gather around the airport's perimeter now that the fighting was over in the hopes of escaping themselves. Serious questions arose regarding whether the Ducal Guard was prepared to assist with keeping the crowds out. The Duchy ultimately responded to these concerns by removing the territorial forces at the airport and replacing them with professional Guardsmen who had been freed up from the fighting with the rebels - Although it is believed that the Duchy itself feared that arriving arms shipments would be lost if left to the conscripted territorials.
The Cryrian General Staff also decided to move in a third Foreign Legion battalion starting on the 27th. By this point the majority of the Legion's combat arms were engaged in Charlottesborg, albeit without any of the supporting elements needed to operate beyond the airport.
The actual evacuation from the University went relatively smoothly, and was overseen by CIDDAG operatives and the remaining Flygbasjägarna units. By the end of the 27th, Charlottesborg International was home to a steady stream of flights bringing in arms, reinforcements, and supplies while flying out the evacuees. In Cryria however, the requisition of so many civilian aircraft led to a state if disarray in the nation's transportation system. By now many of the requisitioned aircraft had effectively been out of circulation and on standby for nearly a week. Royal Cryrian Airways' cargo line had effectively ceased to exist in a civilian capacity, while many of its passenger flights were also now canceled. RCA was also an important provider of domestic flights within Älemsi Negdel which relied heavily on air travel to connect its vast and underdeveloped interior. Many of the aircraft dedicated to this role had been diverted to Operation Caroline in order to reduce the impacts on Cryrian travel. While this decision did serve to protect the Kingdom's own flights, it had a disproportionate impact on Älemsi Negdel and damaged ties between Leidenstad and Amrakh Gazarv. Between Operation Caroline and the Second Yeralik Crisis, RCA was effectively driven out of the Älemsi market by the end of 2002. International travel to and from Aikthudr'zhur similarly also badly suffered, and ticket prices around the region spiked.
October 28-31
While the University had been evacuated, CIDDAG and FBJ units continued to conduct operations to track down and extract scattered Cryrian civilians in Charlottesborg and beyond. Political pressure in Leidenstad led to the "No Empty Seats" policy, where every flight departing the airport was required to use any spare capacity to evacuate Charlottesborgers regardless of their citizenship status. Any evacuees would first need to be authorized by the Ducal government as well however, and many continued to be turned away.
Thus, the situation at the airport remained tense. Panic had spread among the gathering crowds as it became apparent that many would not be offered a chance to escape, particularly those deemed "Militarily fit" by the Duchy. Many people attempted to climb the airport's perimeter walls starting on the 28th, and CDF, Ducal Guard, and Gendarmerie personnel used smoke grenades and fired warning shots to disperse them. Two armed individuals were shot when they opened fire on a Cryrian checkpoint, and three bodies were later found of people who likely died during a stampede.
November 1-3
By November 1, Charlottesborger forces had regained control over most of the Duchy with the surrender of the besieged rebels at the Tellale Barracks. Surviving Committee members were found to have fled the territory, and the remaining Mutineers had surrendered. Despite several high profile executions, numerous amnesties were quietly offered by the Duchy. Controversially, it is also thought that the Duchy actively sought to approve the evacuations of potentially disloyal Charlottesborgers in order to effectively offload them on the Cryrian government.
Regardless, the Cryrian presence itself was beginning to wrap up, in part because of the mounting pressure at the airport, and in part because those Cryrian citizens willing to evacuate had by now departed. The FBJ, who had been the first ones into Charlottesborg Airport, were also the last to depart on November 3, though it is thought that CIDDAG units remained within the Duchy throughout the Civil War.
Aftermath
Charlottesborg
Although the Duchess prevailed in quelling the Mutiny, her government was left badly shaken by it. Many of Charlottesborg's best military forces had either rebelled or been damaged in the fighting, and it was not until November 20th that the Loyalists proclaimed a complete victory. Over the course of the fighting, the Loyalists had suffered over a three-hundred casualties and claimed to have inflicted similar losses on the Mutineers - A for cry from what many had expected to be a bloodless coup. Over 1,200 civilians are also believed to have been killed, many of them during the later stages of the fighting as both sides had become increasingly incapable of maintaining control or discipline of their troops.
The Mutiny would effectively end the Duchy's policy of neutrality in the Volscine Civil War. Despite mutual cooperation with Cryria both during and after the Mutiny, relations between the two government had badly soured over the conflict, and any hopes of unification with the Kingdom were abandoned. Similarly, the Confederation was no longer viewed as an acceptable option. The Duchess formally recognized the Volscine Empire as the new legitimate government, and continued to support it for the remainder of the conflict.
Cryria
Operation Caroline was by far the largest overseas military operation conducted by the Kingdom since the end of the Great War. At its height, over 2,000 Cryrian personnel had been deployed in Charlottesborg, and it is believed that Leidenstad continued to provide both aid and advisors to the Guard for the remainder of the Civil War.
The operation was ultimately successful in evacuating some 1,200 individuals who either held Cryrian citizenship or residency, or were direct familymembers of Cryrian citizens or residents. Additionally, by November 20th, Cryria had also received some 39,000 asylum seekers from Charlottesborg, either through the evacuation or by separate, independently sponsored sealifts. After the 20th, the Duchy reimposed its draconian exit bans, likely with the quiet approval of the Cryrian government whose floundering economy would continue to struggle with ever rising numbers of Volscine refugees over the coming years. Many of those who fled Charlottesborg would be resettled in southern Talvere, where thousands would ultimately be granted permanent residency or citizenship. The rebel soldiers captured at Charlottesborg International were ultimately returned to the Duchy, and their ultimate fate remains unknown.
While generally considered a success, Operation Caroline shed light on serious flaws and deficiencies in the Cryrian military. Despite its large size and funding, the CDF had displayed the severe limits on its ability to project force, and its reliance on small numbers of expeditionary units to protect Cryrian interests abroad. The need to contend with a difficult economic situation at home and the Second Yeralik Crisis in the north meant that these issues could not be contended with, and the political impetus to transform the CDF into a more capable regional force evaporated with the end of the Volscine Civil War. Operation Caroline also faced heavy criticism for poor planning and high degrees of risk. The Operation relied heavily on allies within the Ducal Guard who ultimately proved to be either lacking or nearly hostile, a fact which left Leidenstad rushing to reinforce what should have been a small deployment to assist the Guard. The last minute change towards a larger evacuation of Charlottesborgers has also been scrutinized, and the chaos which erupted towards the end of the evacuation is frequently attributed to this decision. Defense Minister Lindgren later described the operation as "Running on a shoestring" and claimed that Cryrian forces had been "Incredibly lucky that the enemy had not been more prepared and that other Volscine factions did not choose to destroy them."
The Marlberg Government also undertook several inquiries regarding its failure to evacuate Cryrian citizens prior to the outbreak of hostilities, but this was ultimately blamed on both the paralysis of the previous Schauman Government and the obstinacy of the Duchy. Domestically, Operation Caroline served to restore badly shaken faith in the Marlberg Government. This, along with the progressively less uncertain economic situation following the first months of the Volscine collapse provided Prime Minister Marlberg with the political capital needed to later make concessions in the Second Yeralik Crisis. Despite behind-the-scenes tensions, Operation Caroline served to heal public perceptions of both Volscina and Charlottesborg, particularly as the Marlberg Government actively sought to create an narrative of Cryrian-Charlottesborger cooperation against dangerous revolutionaries. Images of the future Duchess Saga Tynam drinking coffee with an unknown Volscine officer at a Royal Rodokan in the ruined airport terminal quickly became the unofficial face of the operation. Operation Caroline also saw the single largest distribution of knighthoods since the Great War. Ten such titles were awarded, mostly to members of the FBJ who were injured in the initial assault.
The Charlottesborg Mutiny and Operation Caroline proved to be a pivotal moment in Cryrian policy towards the Volscine Civil War. By its conclusion, the Kingdom had formally denounced the Confederation as illegitimate and recognized the new Empire as the sole Volscine government.