South African War
The South African War also sometimes known as the 3rd Boer War is a conflict between the Union of South Africa and the Afrika-Schild that begins in November 1963.
Prelude
Prior to the outbreak of the South African War, the Union of South Africa (effectively a republic due to its vacant monarchy) isn't aligned to either the Organization of Free Nations or Einheitspakt. Despite having ties to both factions as well as the opportunity to trade with them, South Africa still frequently stresses its neutrality and fears that closer alignment with either faction will anger the other. Thus, provoking a war or internal strife. To its north, South Africa is entirely bordered by the German colonies of Reichskommissariat Ostafrika, Reichskommissariat Südwestafrika, and Reichskommissariat Zentralafrika. The proximity of these German colonies, in addition to its own geographic isolation from OFN member states, has long discouraged the Union's government from making efforts to join the OFN.
Within South Africa, the Boers (mostly inhabiting Transvaal and the Orange Free State) favor alignment with the Einheitspakt on matters of trade and security. Represented in South African politics by the National Party, they favor suppressing the African National Congress, maintaining racial segregation, strengthening economic ties to the Einheitspakt, and abolishing the vacant monarchy in favor of becoming a federal republic. On the other hand, the ruling English majority (largely represented by the United Party) favor maintaining the monarchy, fostering closer ties with the OFN, and have diverging stances on the matters of racial segregation and the ANC.
As the so-called "Last Democracy in Africa," the United States and the OFN have an interest in maintaining its democratic system and territorial integrity with the hope of the Union eventually becoming an independent member. Both the US and South Africa have starting focuses that allow them to better prepare for an eventual war with the Reichskommissariats to its north. The US is able expand its business ties to South Africa, while also offering covert weapon shipments in order to bolster the South African Defence Force (official emblem on the right). Whereas South Africa has the opportunity to construct fortifications on its border with the Reichskommissariats and increase its diamond mining operations. The Reichskommissariats, namely Ostafrika, aided the Boer cause by funding their party operations and training subversive Boer militias despite largely viewing them as racially degenerate.
In-game
In-game, the AI or player controller of South Africa has the option of either suppressing the African National Congress and introducing authoritarian measures in order to do so, or they can choose to negotiate with the ANC and gradually seek racial reconciliation while still cracking down on radical Pan-African Congress elements. As a result of rising tensions over the status of the monarchy, the Boers demand a referendum on its existence which the controller has no choice but to carry out due to the Boers' sizable presence in government. This is unavoidable and the AI or player controller only has the option of campaigning in favor of maintaining the monarchy.
If the monarchy is abolished and South Africa becomes a republic, the Boers will be strengthened during their eventual secession and the South African Defense Force will be greatly weakened for a several-month period. If the monarchy is maintained, these modifiers will not occur to either South Africa or the Boer Republic. If the controller decided to crack down on the ANC, they would also have to deal with an ANC revolt in addition to the Boers, greatly weakening their war effort. If the controller decided to embrace the ANC, then the faction will remain loyal to South Africa and even aid them during the war as guerilla fighters and members of the SADF, albeit within segregated regiments. However, no matter what the player or AI does, the Boers will always revolt. Thus, it's recommended that the player side with the ANC in order to gain these wartime benefits as well as to make more of the population vote favorably for the monarchy during the referendum.
Following the referendum, and regardless of the outcome, a massacre will occur in Cape Town wherein police forces gun down an unknown, but likely large, number of ANC protestors outside of a government building (likely the Parliament). This tragedy greatly tarnishes the image of the ruling United Party and support for the monarchy, which can prove to be a pivotal determinant in the outcome of the referendum. Violence and unrest erupt throughout the country as a result, particularly in Transvaal and the Orange Free State, prompting the government to impose temporary martial law and troop deployments across the nation. However, Boer resistance becomes so intense and widespread that the military is driven out of the aforementioned Transvaal and the Orange Free State. During this disastrous turn of events, the previously mentioned Reichskommissariats form their own faction following the outbreak of the German Civil War: the Afrika-Schild. The formation of the Afrika-Schild is unavoidable and poses a direct threat to South Africa.
| The Cape Town Massacre |
The Cape Town Massacre has forever stained out hands with blood! The already unrestful populace is extremely angered at such a violent act. They've been preparing, amassing, and calling for all to protest on the streets. All around, signs and people gather around local government buildings, and among the few policing forces we have, some refuse to stop this treacherous act. Our road to recovery will be a herculean task. |
Conflict
Early-stage
After the Afrika-Schild leaders announce their support for Boer separatism, the Boer Republic is declared in Pretoria under the leadership of Albert Hertzog and his fascist Herstigte Nasionale Party on November 15th, 1963. The next day, the South African government declares war on the Boer Republic and begins an advance into their territory. Almost immediately afterwards, the Afrika-Schild intervenes in the war on behalf of the Boers (who join their faction), claiming that the South African government has historically oppressed its minority Boer population. At around this point, if the player or AI decided to suppress the ANC, their revolt will begin and likely result in an abrupt South African defeat. Even if the player or AI supported the ANC, they will still have a difficult fight ahead.
Due to the pre-conflict borders extending north to Bechuanaland, it's very easy for forces from Südwestafrika and Ostafrika to quickly encircle and isolate a sizeable number of South African divisions. It's thus recommended that the player withdraw from Bechuanaland and deploy divisions around the core provinces bordering Südwestafrika and the Boer Republic. It's also easy for Boer forces to cut off the Natal province if few South African divisions are committed to the area.
Generally, the war begins very unfavorably for South Africa with long columns of troops and vehicles in retreat across the frontlines. Captured African regiments are treated brutally by the Reichskommissariats, with many being tortured, executed, used for hard labor, or forced into penal regiments depending on the Reichskommissariat they surrendered to. Whereas white regiments are generally treated humanely by their captors, with the notable exception of Ostafrika. Many members of the government, military high command, and ground forces demand that the US intervene on their behalf, with one soldier retreating to Port Nolloth crying out to an American war correspondent, "Where are the damn yanks?"
Organization of Free Nations summit and intervention
Prompted by the outbreak of war in Southern Africa, President Richard Nixon convenes a "Summit on the Policing Action in South Africa" and invites all independent and dependent members of the OFN (presumably to Washington D.C.) to coordinate a military response. At the same time, the Nixon administration begins a campaign in the press to galvanize the population in support of an intervention. They do so by reminding the populace of the nation's duty to support democracy and fight tyranny while also greatly publicizing Boer and German atrocities. Whilst some of these reports were factual, many were also exaggerated and helped to foster greater support among the largely pacifistic American population. In the lead-up to the Summit, emergency supplies of American-made weapons and support equipment are shipped to the South African military.
On the day of the summit (January 17th, 1964), Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and various governments-in-exile all agree to pledge their support to South Africa and promise immediate troop deployments. Guyana, the West Indies Federation, Belize, and Iceland all object to the intervention. President Porbergsson of Iceland leads the opposition; arguing that as dependent members (effectively puppet governments of the US), they have little to no voice in the affairs of the organization and don't wish to sacrifice their soldiers in the name of US interests. The American delegation, led by Robert McNamara, ultimately decides the outcome of the summit by voting in favor of intervention. The Nixon administration then appoints General William Westmoreland as the supreme leader of all OFN military forces in South Africa. While it's default for the AI controller of the US to favor intervention, the player has the choice to vote against such a motion and remain uninvolved in the conflict.
A few weeks afterwards on February 5th, the Iberian Union offers its direct military support to the OFN mission in South Africa via its ambassador in Washington. While wholly unexpected (and likely done in an effort to gain favor with the OFN to protect it from Germany and Italy), the US immediately accepts their support and promises to aid their future operations. Negotiations also begin concerning the temporary transfer of several strategic Iberian air bases in the South Atlantic in exchange for OFN investment, financial aid, and assistance in anti-terrorism efforts.
Upon a random date following the conclusion of the OFN Summit, the first US troops of the "OFN Mission in South Africa" will land in East London. Due to the absence of helicopter and armored units in South Africa's military, it's recommended that the American controller deploy these units to South Africa exclusively (or at least before weaker units) due to the volunteer force cap of five divisions. On the other hand, due to the ensuing German Civil War, none of the German successor states are able to offer any material support to the Afrika-Schild's offensive. News about the conflict is scarce within Germany and thus little attention is payed or care given. Despite this, all four of the successors offer their tacit support and promise future aid upon the resolution of the civil war. For much of the early war period, the US is the only OFN member contributing ground troops but is soon followed by Australia and the Iberian Union. Due to the requirement of at least ten deployed divisions in order to send volunteer forces, the other OFN members rarely meet this requirement and are thus unable to send troops.
Ground war
Outcomes
The South African War's outcome is not predetermined (nor is any outcome known to be canon), and as such, can go in a variety of ways, depending on how the player acts:
- If the OFN and South Africa achieve a total victory, South Africa will absorb Namibia, Rhodesia and southern Mozambique of the conquered Reichskommissariats (resulting in its northern borders being closer to the northernmost part of the country's starting boundaries), but the rest of the Reichskommissariat lands will be put in charge of the OFN. The OFN can either adapt a collaboration government solution of three smaller nations, which will eventually be peacefully broken up into independent nations and these independent African nations will become OFN aligned, or the OFN can instead attempt to adopt the Central African Republic. The latter outcome will either fail, resulting in a super-event called the African Crisis and triggering the war between CAR and the African states that CAR attempt to restore order or success decolonization if CAR manage the crisis properly but the independent African nations will not align with OFN.
- If an outcome that does not result in the annihilation of the Schild is achieved, or if total victory is achieved and Reichskommissariat Ostafrika took the "Brudermord" focus during the war, then Hans Hüttig will invite Wolfgang Schenck and Siegfried Müller to his manor for a party (while Schenck will attend, Müller will instead send Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma in his place), Hüttig will murder Schenck and von Thoma, and Reichskommissariat Ostafrika will annex the other two African Reichskommissariats, creating the Großafrikanischer Reichstaat (Greater African Reich). However, to the surprise of very few people aside from Hüttig, whoever is Führer will declare Hüttig a traitor due to his actions, and cut him off from German aid. Due to Hüttig underestimating how dependent the other two Reichskommissariats are on Africans, the GAR will eventually collapse, with the outcome depending on how quickly it collapsed. If the GAR collapses relatively quickly after its formation, the resulting nations will be relatively stable democracies/monarchies/socialist nations, in an event called the End of the Reichstaat. However, if Hüttig was able to make the GAR last for a long time (if his control over Africa reaches stage three in the decisions screen), then it will collapse into a series of warlord states in an event known as the African Devastation. Among the various outcomes, if the leftover state of the GAR, Oberkommando Südafrika, conquers all of the former GAR, it will collapse, resulting in a third war in Southern Africa.
- If a ceasefire leaning towards one side favor is achieved, then the nation(s) on the other side will remain, but will lose territory.
- If a ceasefire in no one's favor is achieved, then the nations will go back to their starting borders.
- If the Schild achieves a total victory, they will conquer South Africa and the Boer Republic will annex many of its core provinces (excluding North Cape).
Trivia
The original canon ending for the South African War when a 1972 Start Date was planned was for the war to have ended in a pro-OFN ceasefire.