Second War in the Rift

[P3D]

Northern Hemisphere	Southern Hemisphere
Spring	Autumn	March-May
Summer	Winter	June-August
Autumn	Spring	September-November
Winter	Summer	December-February

As you see, it's mid spring in Ethiopia, rather cold compared to mid summer in the Southwest.

???

Ethiopia is in the Northern hemisphere.
And being in the tropic, there are rather dry and rainy seasons (2 of each in this case).

[The Rock Doctor]

SECOND RIFT WAR:  OCTOBER 1919

Ground war - Northern Front

In the west, the Italians are engaged in a broad flanking manuever; the VII Marines move into the Himora area, allowing III Corps to relieve IX Corps.  IX Corps, in turn, marches southeast to Adis Zerman, leaves part of a cohort in place, continues to Debre Tabor to leave another Cohort, and eventually reaches Lafibela and Weldiya on the 22nd and 24th respectively.

Italian I Alpine undertakes another advance, with one cohort taking up station along the road betwen Inda Silase and Gonder and the other maintaining a position in Inda Silase itself.  

While the Zionite Alpine division is content to watch proceedings from its position, the Cavalry Division spars with the various Italian formations, causing inconveniences but no serious difficulty to the Italians.

On the 10th, Italian XVI and XII Corps attack the 9th and 8th Divisions respectively.  Italian aviators, facing no significant opposition at this point, ground attack missions in support of the assault.  These Zionite divisions, however, are virtually intact, and although they lose a total of 7,000 casualties, they inflict 11,000 Italian casualties and hold their positions.

Out at the coast, however, Italian efforts to turn the Zionite right wing begin to bear fruit as XVIII Corps and an armored brigade dislodge 3rd Division and send them reeling southward.  

On the 13th, XXIII Corps, with air support, hammer 4th division, suffering 5,000 casualties.  The Zionite division suffers over 16,000 casualties and collapses, allowing the Italians to push through this hole in the Zionite line and threaten the flanks of 8th division and 10th division.

This latter development is a serious problem for the Zionites, as a cohort of XVIII Corps wheels and the Italian armor begin hooking west to hit 10th Division from the east while VIII Corps prepares to hit the 10th from the north.  This attack commences on the 15th.  10th Division initially suffers heavy casualties and retreats southwest to avoid XVIII Corps.  However, the 10th is startled to find elements of XXIII Corps in its way and that precipitates a rout.

Further north, at Eliat, the Italians resume their siege on the 16th, following the expiration of the ceasefire there.  The Italians have, as it turns out, acquired the services of a Hapsburger seige artillery battalion deploying 12" mortars.  After a deliberately paced bombardment through much of the 16th, the Zionites surrender the city on the morning of the 17th.  The remnants of Zionite 1 Division and a brigade of Swiss march into captivity, but it is evident that other Swiss have been evacuated during the ceasefire.

Ground War - Southern Front

Following another two weeks of seige action, the city of Atlit surrenders to DKB and Italian forces on October 14.  Preparations for a Brandenburger amphibious assault prove unnecessary.

Naval War

Allied forces continue harassing Zionite coastal shipping and patrols, while sweeping mines.  Three Italian MAS and a submarine are lost.

Zionite coastal defence battleships at Eliat depart on the night of the 16th and steam south, narrowly avoiding a waiting Italian submarine.  They arrive in Tel Aviv two days later, despite being subjected to Italian MAS and aircraft raids.  

On the 20th, the surviving Zionite battleships and a number of damaged warships are scuttled at Tel Aviv.  The remainder of the Zionite Navy - three old armored cruisers, two Pegasus-class light cruisers, and three torpedo-boats - attempt a breakout north to Ottoman waters.  The Zionites are sighted by Italian and Brandenburger aircraft, and they are intercepted early on the 22nd by two Italian Vigilanza class armored cruisers and two DKB Moltke class schlactkreuzers, with screening elements.  The subsequent engagement is short, sharp, and entirely one-sided.  The Zionites are shot to pieces by the larger, faster, newer, and better-equipped Allied cruisers, and those Zionite ships that are not sunk are instead scuttled.

Political Developments

The fall of Atlit and Eliat are the final straw for the Zionite government.  On the 19th, the Queen recommends to the government that it implement a scorch earth directive in order to deny the Allies any spoils of war.  The government accepts the recommendation and issues the orders to local police and other authorities.  The first factory is put to the torch on the afternoon of the 20th.

The directive leads to civilian unrest; livelihoods and investments are being lost with each store demolished, factory flattened, or field burnt.  Civilians begin to confront government authorities, and a number are shot attending to defend their property.

On the 22nd, senior Zionite army personnel mutiny.  General Aumann of the bloodied 2nd Division is quoted as saying, "We have not spent three months and tens of thousands of lives stopping the Italian invasion only for our own government to destroy the nation out of spite."  2nd, 3rd, and 5th Divisions follow their senior officers into mutiny; the other divisions' leaders do not join in, but their ranks begin to suffer from mutiny and desertions.  

General Aumann commandeers available cars and takes two battalions to New Jerusalem.  On the 25th, as Italian troops advance and begin to accept the mass surrender of Zionite troops on the northern front, Aumann enters the capital, fighting through loyal security forces to arrest senior government figures and take the royal family into custody.  

On the 26th, Aumann declares himself President of New Zion.  He orders the armed forces to lay down their arms and issues a statement declaring New Zion's unconditional surrender to the Allies.  His transmission ends with a request to the Allies to show mercy to civilians and uniformed military personnel.

The Second War of the Rift is over.

[Carthaginian]

*headline of the Mobile Press-Register*

DING, DONG THE WITCH IS GONE!

[ctwaterman]

October, 26th 1919 HQ Imperial Army of Italia East Africa Asmara Eritrea

General Giulio Douhet had just received a radio telegraphy message from New Jerusalem.   The Queen of New Zion and her advisors were under military arrest and someone calling himself President Aumann had seized the leadership of New Zion.  President Aumann had just announced the surrender of the forces of New Zion to the allied forces of Italia and Brandenburg.

First things were first General Douhet ordered a copy of the message be forwarded to all his subordinate units with orders to accept the surrender of all New Zion forces and to cease offensive combat operations in place.

In addition copies of the message were to be forwarded to Dar-Es-Salaam, Paris, and Rome.   A Runner would take the message to Magistrate Quintillius and the Civilian government across the street.   The war was apparently over the hard part of rebuilding was about to begin.