East Antigonian War

The East Antigonian War began in 1926 following the invasion of the Republic of New Cambria by the Estherian Continental Army. The

Background
Following the War of 1894, the Estherian government agreed to a less-than-favourable peace deal despite what had been perceived domestically as a successful military campaign. The region of North La Forge in New Cambria had been completely occupied by the end of the war but was rescinded in the peace deal, in a move which was highly unpopular with the Estherian population, who still sought restitution for perceived warcrimes committed by New Cambrian forces in both the War of 1894 and War of Estherian Independence.

George de la Croix, the President of Estheria, during the 1925-26 election cycle, polled poorly and was expected to lose the election. During his campaign he campaigned on a platform of anti-New Cambrian sentiment, stirring up disdain for New Cambria and promising the reclamation of La Forge, and humiliation of New Cambria. The war was perceived by many to be a simple victory for Estheria, which had a greater population than New Cambria and had triumphed in both prior wars where the countries had fought one another.

On the 2nd of July 1926, the Estherian military launched a comprehensive assault against the Army of the Republic of New Cambria, focused primarily on the La Forge region but with forces crossing the border across the length of the national border. The ARNC was, however, well-prepared for such an attack, having paid close attention to the election cycle and promises of de la Croix.

Outbreak of Hostilities
Despite outnumbering the New Cambrians, the Estherian forces were woefully underequipped compared to their New Cambrian counterparts, who boasted relatively advanced military equipment such as tanks and combat aircraft, which the Estherian military mostly lacked. The initial assault was an absolute disaster for the Estherian forces, with the initial July Offensive resulting in over fifty thousand casualties and ultimately being called off with only very marginal territorial gains. Scrambling to recover the situation, the Estherian military drafted tens of thousands of citizenry and called upon the assistance of the citizen-militia such as the Order of the Knights of Saint Chennault to assist them in the war effort. These citizen-militia were largely ineffective against the well-armed and well-equipped New Cambrian forces. Despite Estherian numerical superiority, the ARNC made quick progress in eliminating the initial gains of the ECA.

New Cambrian Counter-offensive
After the collapse of the July Offensive, New Cambrian forces launched simulatenous counter-strikes targetting the urban population centres in the Provinces of Caddo and Ithaque. Submachine guns, trench guns and flamethrowers, gave the New Cambrian forces a significant operational advantage against the Estherian forces, who were relying on mostly break-action shotguns and bolt action rifles in urban combat. As September approached and the New Cambrian offensive slowed down as the urban density became greater and greater, New Cambrian armoured and motorized troops, in one of the first combined-arms operation in modern history, lauched an invasion of the Apalachee lowlands, the Estherians lacked effective counters to the New Cambrian tanks which were largely Acronian tanks, and by December of that year the New Cambrian forces had advanced to the Apalachean River.

The Winter of 1926
As winter approached and the New Cambrian forces were bogged down in brutal urban combat in Caddo and Ithaque, the offensive stalled. 1926 saw a particularly cold winter, and many soldiers perished to frostbite and starvation. New Cambrian tanks failed to properly function in the bitter cold, and their troops were undersupplied. Seeing their advantage, the Estherian forces launched a Winter Counteroffensive in Caddo, which, while mostly unsuccessful, led to a decisive victory during the Battle of Shenandoah. The Estherians took advantage of the lull in combat to push their own combat tanks into operation, the, which generally outperformed their more numerous New Cambrian counterparts.

Impact
The disaster that was the war almost destroyed the Charterists, and ushered in 20+ years of Continentalist domination in Estherian politicians. The legacy of the war also paved the way for the Second East Antigonian War.