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Operation Red Blood

Operation Dissolution
Operation Dissolution ANZAC
State Guard troops assisting UIP forces
Beginning:

Late March 2013

End:

June 5th, 2013

Place:

Bengal and Assam regions and Tula Nada

Outcome:

Decisive UIP Victory

  • Annexation of Small Breakaways into the UIP
  • SAC aid to the UIP cut off
  • Establishment of North-Eastern Military Zone
Combatants

UIP Flag Union Interim Parliament of India
Supported by
Flag of the Soviet Union Socialist Siberia
ANZ Union Flag with the golden ratio ANZC

Bodoland
Tula Nada
Kamtapur
Achikland
Assam
Dimasaland
Nagaland
Manipur
Tripura
Zozam
Supported By
Naam Tamilar 1 Tamil Nadu
Flag of Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh
DD1983 SAC Flag SAC

Commanders

UIP Flag President Manmohan Singh
UIP Flag Prime Minister Manohar Joshi

Unknown

Strength

120,000

300,000

Casualties and Losses

18,231 killed
6,203 injured

Militias wiped out

The Union Interim Parliament of India has maintained large numbers of soldiers on its borders for many years, especially so on its eastern side. Since the conquest of Arunachal Pradesh, it has had logistical problems transporting supplies to the state. In late March 2013, a routine flight over one of the breakaway states went wrong, sending a pilot crashing into the jungles of Bodoland. A rescue operation was set up, and backfired when the troops sent to retrieve the crashed plane got into a firefight with Bodoland forces, who thought the UIP troops were invading. From there, the situation escalated and Operation Dissolution was launched.

Buildup to War[]

Trigger[]

Mig21 flying

A picture of an airborne UIP MiG 21

A routine flight over Bodoland turned problematic when a new pilot began to experience problems with his aircraft. His MiG-21 started to become difficult to control, and this led to the pilot losing control of his aircraft and crashing into the forested hills of Bodoland. This came to the attention of military authorities after the pilot failed to radio in or show up at his intended destination in Arunanchal Pradesh. The condition of the pilot was unknown at this point.

The matter was taken up to the military high command, who authorized a search and rescue mission into Bodoland to try to recover the missing plane. A rescue team was put together, and set out for the last known location of the aircraft.

Search & Rescue[]

The operation began smoothly, with the team covering good ground by air. The wreckage of the crashed plane was easily located in the forested hills between the border and the Bodoland's capital city of Kokrajhar, and the team landed by helicopter to investigate. The pilot was nowhere to be seen, however, giving them hope that he was still alive somewhere. For several hours, they hunted around the area for him, hoping to find him alive but growing ever doubtful.

MiG 21 crashed

Picture of the crash site

Then, their luck improved, when they found him, delirious, and badly injured, sitting in a nearby clearing - apparently, he had thought they were members of the Bodoland militia, and tried to keep away from them. He was soon taken to a clearing, where a helicopter arrived and evacuated him back to a hospital at the UIP air base in Cooch Behar. However, the helicopter also dropped off a recovery team, whose goal was to attempt to recover the downed aircraft. They were to spend the night, and try to both recover the majority of the plane, at minimum, and figure out a cause for the crash if possible. The Bodoland authorities were notified of the incident, but they failed to let any of their local commanders know this.

Backfire[]

Local elements of the Bodoland militia had spotted the search planes flying into - and presumably over - their territory and had decided to do nothing about it as it was not in their power to do so, and they were obviously search planes. Yet this was not the case with the helicopters, which they viewed as more of a threat, and decided to investigate. The first helicopter was long gone by the time they started to move, however.

Operation Dissolution3

Troops being dropped off to aid the recovery team

The troops arrived too late to catch the second helicopter as well, but when they swept the area for enemy soldiers, they soon came into contact with the UIP recovery team at the crash site. The militia, thinking it some sort of attack, opened fire and a firefight ensured. It was readily apparent that the recovery team obviously outgunned the locals - however, they were outnumbered, and most were eventually killed, but not before they forced the militia back and radioed for help.

Several helicopters were sent to investigate the report, and aid the beleaguered recovery team. They found dead bodies, confirming their worst fears. However, some soldiers had survived, and reinforcements were rapidly sent from Cooch Behar. The dead soldiers were taken back and were given a military burial with full military honours. The survivors, most of whom were wounded, were also sent back and joined the pilot in the hospital.

Escalation[]

The UIP was not one to just stand back and let a small state like Bodoland get away with killing their soldiers, despite the protests of the Bodoland government that it had been accidental and not ordered. Following discussions with the government, UIP commanders under the Chief of Staff, Air Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, decided that the best way to go forward was to launch attacks into Bodoland.

These attacks were launched on the 27th of March and, as one would have expected, went well. Ground forces reached the crash site within six hours of crossing the border, and by the next afternoon, had occupied Kokrajhar.

Shortly after the occupation of the Bodolander capital, SAC representatives angrily demanded the Union remove its forces from Bodoland - the demand was refused, and in response, they immediately withdrew their aid. With this, President Singh and Prime Minister Joshi, following consultations with other UIP leaders, decided to order the military to begin preparations to invade most of the other rebel states, as well, since the main reason for holding back had just become a moot point. The larger of those states were pointedly left out of the move.

Op disso fighting

UIP forces outside Bodoland

The operation would be code-named "Dissolution."

Operation Dissolution[]

Opening Stages[]

After a week of preparation and build-up, the first attacks on the other breakaway states were launched on the 3th of April, and the offensive in Bodoland was expanded. Smashing through the defenses of these states, they proved unable to hold back the UIP advance. As UIP forces clashed with small, untrained militiamen, progress was made rapidly. By nightfall on the third day of the expanded offensive, most of Bodoland had been occupied, and by the next morning, whatever organized forces that were left had surrendered. Some resistance by small military units would be encountered for a few days to come, but this would be overcome fairly easily. Most of the UIP casualties were suffered in ambushes and mines planted by the militias. 

At the same time, however, invasions of Kamtaptur and Tula Nada were launched. The UIP hoped to take as much land early into the offensive as possible in order to keep the element of surprise ongoing. Tula Nada would find itself rather significantly unprepared as while it knew invasion was probably coming, they presumed that they would be last on the agenda of UIP efforts. Both nations would not be able to hold back the advance of the UIP troops, and would fall by the second day of the offensive. Fighting would be heavy in some areas of the two nations, but overall not much resistance would be encountered by UIP forces. By the end of the first week of the expanded offensive, Tula Nada, Bodoland and Kamtapur would all be under UIP control, with relatively small loses on the UIP side.

Kargil-tiger-hill

Locals raise an old Indian flag in Bodoland

Bloody Offensives[]

For the first time since the occupation of the area, a direct land link with Arunanchal Pradesh was established through captured territories. The UIP considered this a major success and it was hailed as being a well executed operation so far. However, the job was not done. The remaining states knew that their turn would come sooner, and each of the small nations saw their individual mobilizations. They planned to wage a solely defensive war and prepared to defend their cities and villages with everything they had.

The UIP moved on from Bodoland after securing it, and amassed their troops on that former state's south and eastern frontiers. After a short buildup, they invaded Assam and Achikland simultaneously. Artillery was used to destroy many of the enemy positions near the border, which enabled UIP forces swift access into the two respective "countries". The fighting was intense, and the UIP did sustain some losses, yet the offensive marched forward, with a supporting attack from Arunanchal Pradesh helping to hit the flank of Assam's forces. The militias of both nations were destroyed in the fighting.

The UIP knew the final attacks would not be so easy. As such, the Air Force was to be used more extensively to help attack enemy positions and bomb out strategic enemy bases make make the job easier for the army. Following this decision, Nagaland was invaded using a classic pincer movement, driving their forces toward the center of the nation and making their flanks vulnerable to attack. An attack straight into the nation finished off the offensive into the state. The UIP took relatively light casualties due to superior strategic planning despite heavy fighting in the capital of Nagaland, Kohima.

Operation Dissolution5

Helicopter helping to transport UIP soldiers

From here, the UIP would move their focus southward and invade Dimasaland successfully. It was seen as a weaker target than Manipur and with superior numbers and planning on their side, progress was swift. Many towns lacked any soldiers to defend them, and it seemed to be because the militia had given up. This was proved wrong as UIP forces were ambushed at a valley by what seemed to be most of the Dimasaland militia. The fighting would be heavy, and losses great. The UIP forces contemplated retreating temporarily, in order to bring up heavy weapons - but air support saved them. Helicopters were able to provide covering fire for the troops moving to secure new positions while ground attack aircraft bombed the enemy positions. In the end, Dimasan forces were wiped out from the area, and the UIP could claim victory.

Slow Road to Victory[]

UIP forces could begin sensing that total victory was close. And they were not wrong.

The attack on Manipur commenced at dawn, starting with a diversionary attack to the south. While the militias, anxious after the previous fighting, were lured south, UIP forces launched pincer strikes from the north and west. Though the former met almost no resistance, the latter met a series of ambushes along the way, losing men each time. However, after the first day the two pincers had met up, having taken most of the nation. The militias, however, were still fighting in the south, so the UIP forces had to launch an attack from the north, sending in ground attack planes and troops through towns, punching through their defenses. As the Manipur militia fought back, the force in the south sent up attack and transport helicopters, quickly cleaning up resistance, such that by noon the second day just a few pockets of resistance remained, that were eliminated during the following days.

Operation Dissolution4

Soldiers being dropped behind enemy lines

Simultaneously, the state of Tripura was attacked. Starting with an aerial bombardment, UIP troops attacked from the north, while soldiers came in via helicopters to the south, capturing towns while the militias were busy fighting the main ground forces. After securing the border in the south, another force came in from the east, surrounding the militias. After five days of fighting, most of the militia had been defeated but a few towns still remained defiant. However, these were swiftly pacified as troops focused on secondary targets.

Almost all of the area was now under UIP control. The only thorn standing in the way of complete UIP control of the region was the small breakaway state of Zozam. Elements from various militias of the former states headed there after their countries were defeated, and prepared to make a last stand. The UIP, on the other hand, was not taking chances. It amassed 70,000 troops on Zozam's borders. Heavy artillery was called up from the west and an artillery bombardment began on the 23rd of May. Its aim was to wipe out initial forces from the area and make the first stage easier. The invasion began on the 24th, and light resistance was met as the UIP forces established a foothold. But from there, the local militia, bolstered by remnants from the other states, ensured their job would not be easy. They launched a counterattack, aiming to push the soldiers out. They would not even come close - but would cause the UIP to take extremely heavy casualties.

Op disso fighting-1

UIP forces attack militiamen from Zozam

However, UIP forces kept going. Fighting off counter-attack after counterattack, they managed to take control of significant portions of Zozam. The fighting dragged on, however, yet the soldiers continued to go on. By the second week of the invasion, UIP troops attacked the Zozamite capital from all directions, supported by air and artillery bombardment. After a day of heavy fighting, the capital fell and the government surrendered. Thus ended the campaign to liberate eastern India from the various breakaway states. Operation Dissolution had been a successful endeavor.

Aftermath[]

After the fall of Zozam, the eastern breakaway states had been completely conquered. However, the remaining "rebel" states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Rayasleema all stayed independent in the South, and Khalistan remained in the North, completely independent and backed by Pakistan. Pakistan also remained in control of Indian territory in the far North. The Union did not have plans to invade them anytime soon because of internal matters and the need to integrate the new conquests. All together, the war was a decisive victory for the Union and it showed their growing superiority, due to aid from Siberia and the ANZC, over the small states.

Though small resistance movements continued in some areas of these states after this, Union forces managed to quash all organized resistance by surviving militia leaders. However, the remaining states began to move even closer together after seeing the force that the Union used against the eastern states. In the south, the states began talks to form some sort of coalition to act as a counter-measure to the UIP.

The prisoners of war would be rounded up and forced to rebuild much of the destroyed infrastructure and new land routes to the newly liberated areas. After the job was done, they would have to work in other areas of the nation, constructing new public works and other infrastructure for the Union government. It is planned that they will be discharged after a year or two in services.

Despite the aid from the SAC getting cut off due to their actions, observers predict it will not suffer as much as it would have if it had happened even a year earlier. This is largely due to Siberian aid and military equipment arriving in ever-increasing numbers. However, it is believed that the Union will have to work largely on internal matters to keep the nation stable and allow it to grow for the foreseeable future.

International Reactions[]

  • Naam Tamilar 1 Tamil Nadu - The government of Tamil Nadu has heavily condemned the invasion, calling it another move of blatant UIP Imperialism. T. P. M. Mohideen Khan criticized the move heavily and demanded the SAC aid to the UIP be halted. They have also opened their borders to the "rightful" governments of the area, pledging to host all refugees from the "tyranny" of the Union Parliament.
  • Flag of Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh -  Andhra Pradesh strongly condemned the war, issuing a joint statement with Tamil Nadu. They also offered refuge to the surviving governments of the invaded states, describing the UIP as a 'tyranny' and a 'monstrosity'.
  • Flag of the Soviet Union Union of Sovereign Socialist Republics - The leader of the USSR, Aman Tuleyev, announced his approval of the UIP's attack, which he called "reclamation of rogue states within India". He also stated that the USSR's "southern brothers" had his full political support in this conflict.
  • DD1983 SAC Flag South American Confederation - An extraordinary session was called in Montevideo after the fall of the state of Tripura. At the end of the session, the invasion was officially condemned by the SAC itself and the governments of all of its members. The SAC has followed requests put forth by Tamil Nadu and has "suspended" aid directed towards the Interim Parliament "for an unspecified amount of time".
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