The Western IslesBoard

The participation of Dragão do Mar in the Imperial War (1941-1948) in the side of the Neo-Imperialists is explained by a number of reasons.

The first is the alliance with Rio do Ouro (New totzka) that was established during the War of the Contested Crown (1915-1917). In this conflict, the Ouronan Royalists, backed by the governments of Rio do Ouro and Dragão do Mar, fought against the Ouronan Parliamentarists, backed by Ouronan insurgents, liberals and the government of Almorea. In the aftermath, the war helped to restore Ouronan-Marian relations, as it ended the cycle of revanchism between the two nations that lasted for centuries, and it also created and sentiment of distrust with Almorea.

The second was the anti-Noronican sentiment, caused by the Great Argus Wars, and its expansion over the Mesder Sea, that began in 1802 with the establishment of a settlement in Black Isle by the Noronnican West Sea Company.

The third was the good relations between Dragão do Mar and Keomora, that became stronger with the Keomoran support to the Marian monarchy during the Republican Revolt (1889-1890).

The fourth was the political and economic crisis of Dragão do Mar from 1920-1924, that made possible the election of Camilo Gomes, of the Marian Socialist Party to the post of Grand Minister of the country. Since 1823, when the country was born, the political powers of Head of Government were inferior to the powers of the Head of State, which was the Marian monarch. But in 1926, the first year of government of Camilo Gomes, the Amendment 89 was approved by the Marian parliament, and it removed all the powers of the King Carlos, turning the monarch of Dragão do Mar merely a decorative figure. With that, the post of Prime Minister was created, and it would have all the control over the leadership of the country.

Prime Minister Camilo Gomes in 1936

The rule of Prime Minister Camilo Gomes

Camilo Gomes was democratically elected by the Marian population in the context of a economic and political crisis. With the approval of the Amendment 89 in his first year of government, in 1926, the political power of Dragão do Mar became concentrated in the hands of the Prime Minister, while the King became a cerimonial symbol.

Symbol of the Marian Socialist Party (PMS)

Several sectors of the Marian economy were nationalized yet in 1926, including the mining, oil, agriculture and metallurgical industries. It was a radical measure in the view of the media and the social elites, which became afraid of the ambitions of Camilo Gomes, but the masses of the Marian population supported him.

The government Dragão do Mar banned multinational companies of banking and tellecommunications from the country, as, in the words of PM Gomes, "The objective of these parasitic enterprises was to steal the Marian wealth and misinform the Marian population". The state-owneds banking company Banco of Dragão do Mar and the news publisher Diário do Dragão were created in few time to compete with Marian private companies of these sectors.

In 1928, with the country successfully recovering from the economic crisis, tens of Marian public institutions of education and research were created. With that, a great portion of the Marian population had access to schools and universities for the first time. It wasn't a surprise for anyone when, later in this year, Prime Minister Camilo Gomes was elected to serve for more four years as Prime Minister of Dragão do Mar.

The reconstruction of the Marian Armed Forces

In the project of rebirth of Dragão do Mar as a socialist kingdom, Prime Minister Camilo Gomes emphasized the importance to rebuild the strenght of the Marian Armed Forces and its reliance with the population. "As long as the Marian military continue subservient to the Marian people, Dragão do Mar will be subservient to no nation" used to say Gomes.

The first fruits of Marian investments in educations were harvested in 1932, when a whole generation of Marians finished their graduation courses in high-quality public universities. Engineers, physics and chemists became important in a national level, as the most of them were searched to work in a group of Marian state-owned companies of military research, including Barcones Defesa Naval, Aviação Mariana, Blindados & Cia, Companhia de Tiros e Armas, and others.

The beginning of the Imperial War

Neutral Dragão do Mar

In 16th of March, 1941, the Imperial War had started. The initiators of the conflict, which were labelled as Neo-Imperialists, were Keomora, Magarat (Athara magarat), Rio do Ouro (New totzka) and Norstham, and they rose to defy the dominant powers in the Western Isles. The defenders of the status quo in the region, which were labelled as the Free Powers, were Noronica, Almorea, Miklania, Aizcona, and several others.

At the beggining of the war, the Marian government was in a dilemma. While the country was reconstructed from a economic crisis and had modernized armed forces, its leader, Prime Minister Camilo Gomes was against the confront, and adopted a neutral instance towards both sides, even through Dragão do Mar was closer to the Neo-Imperialists in many aspects.

The reluctance to pick a side to support yielded very good fruits to Dragão do Mar in the first months of the war. While the Neo-Imperialists bought manufactured weapons and military vehicles from Dragão do Mar, the Free Powers bought beverages, agricultural goods and minerals. The Marian economy, which was a mixed one, felt stimulated to increase its production, and PM Camilo Gomes considered the possibility to maintain the country permanently neutral in the conflict.

A Marian squad of volunteers that served in
support of Rio do Ouro in 1941

By August of 1941, the Marian economy felt the first negative impacts of the Imperial War. The foreing purchases of Marian products had fallen abruptelly, as most of the nations involved in the conflict decreased their importations. The imports by the Free Powers, however, decreased much more, as the commercial routes became changed by the dinamic of naval battles in the Karnali Sea and the Mesder Sea. The only foreign markets that didn't decreased their imports from Dragão do Mar in August were the ones of Rio do Ouro and Keomora, in part by the existence of the trans-Raedlon railway, which crossed the three countries.

In the following months, until the end of 1941, the Marian commerce would become stagnated. The international trade in the Western Isles was drastically impaired and without previsions of a recovery in the next year. It's possible that, at this point, Prime Ministed Camilo Gomes approximated to the Emperor of Magarat, Temur Buduja, and they might have realized that, despite following different political ideals, both had much in common, as the aversion against the liberal economic model and the status quo of geopolitics in the Western Isles.

Entrance of Dragão do Mar in the War

After the forces of Rio do Ouro and Marian volunteers reached a stalemate in the south of Almorea, the Marian military strategists convinced Camilo Gomes that it was finally the time for Dragão do Mar to enter in the war. For that, Prime Minister Gomes decided to initially mobilize the Marian Royal Navy in favor of Magarat and the Neo-Imperialists, in order to increase the pression against Almorea.

Footage of the First Battle of the Karnali Sea,
of May 30th to June 4th, 1942

In April 1st of 1942, Dragão do Mar declared war on the Free Powers and joined the Neo-Imperialists, leaving the neutral position in the war. The remaining soldiers of the Marian volunteer division were called back to integrate the ranks of the Marian Royal Army to fight for their country.

Due to a mere coincidence, the Marian declaration of war was announced during the April Fool's Day. This detail made millions of persons across the Western Isles think that it was a joke of the international media or the Marian government. The thought that it was a joke made tens of commercial ships of the Free Powers deny to change their routes, continuing to pass by the Karnali Sea, but in the following days they would regret of this decision.

In April 2nd of 1942, Dragão do Mar and Magarat started a coordinated blockade to the southern strait of Karnali Sea, only accepting the passage of ships from neutral countries or Neo-Imperialists supporters. However, several trading ships from the Free Powers continued to pass by the Karnali Sea, as they thought that the Marian entrance in the war was a April Fool's joke. As consequence, all the goods that they carried were confiscated and divided between Dragão do Mar and Magarat. In some cases, the commerce ships that denied to stop when the Marian Royal Navy approached were sunk to the sea by the cannons of Marian battleships.

Between April 10th and May 20th, the Marian Royal Navy executed series of bombardments against several naval bases and ports in the Almorean eastern coast. In response to these outrageous attacks by Dragão do Mar, and also the Marian-Magarati blockade, in May 28th, squadrons of vessel of the Free Powers attempted to put an end of the blockade of the Karnali Sea. The Neo-Imperialists, however, defended their position successfully in the First Battle of the Karnali Sea, that occured between May 30th and June 4th of 1942, with decisive victory of Marian and Magarati forces.

Expansion of the Neo-Imperialists

Invasion of Almorea

Invasion of Segentova (?)

Stalemate

Retake of territories by the Free Powers

The Second Battle of Karnali Sea happened between August 11st and 12nd, 1945. It was conduced as an effort of the Free Powers to make land in Occupied San Montagna and liberate it by the end of the year, as this would allow them to move into mainland Magarat.

The Neo-Imperialist forces were composed by Magarat, Keomora and Dragão do Mar, with summed numbers of 5 carriers, 5 battleships, 10 heavy cruisers, 30 destroyers, 20 submarines and 5 oilers and also 400 carrier-based aircraft and round 200-300 land-based aircraft. The Marian participation counted with 2 carriers, 2 battleships, 4 heavy cruisers, 11 destroyers, 7 submarines and 2 oilers, and also 100 carrier based aircraft, and 30 land-based aircraft which were supported by Magarat air bases in San Montagna.

The Free Powers had 15 carriers, 5 battleships, 5 heavy cruisers, 10 light cruisers, 60 destroyers and 20 submarines plus 800-900 carrier-based aircraft.

The aftermath was a victory for the Free Powers, and it marked the period between 1945-1948 in which the Neo-Imperialists would suffer consecutive defeats. In this conflict, Dragão do Mar had one heavy cruiser and two light cruisers sunk to the depths of the Karnali Sea, and Magarat had two carriers sunk. 500 Neo-Imperialist aircraft were also be destroyed and the Neo-Imperialists lost around 2,000 men.

Invasion of Dragão do Mar

Marian Surrender

Aftermath