Civil War in Valiesk (15mm Ultra-Modern)

[Golan2072]

Allright, I've decided on a fictional nation (Imagi-Nation) to base my WWII and Ultra-Modern games on. And the winner is...

Valiesk!

In this thread I'll explore Valiesk's bloody history from the Russian Civil War through the Great Patriotic War and the Cold War to Perestroika, independence, modern dictatorship, overthrow and ultra-modern civil war. I'll also explore the current politics of this hapless nation, and the 15mm miniatures that will represent the various factions in the civil war (and the wars of the past).

So welcome, enjoy your stay, and keep your AK-74 loaded!

And please visit the project blog: http://valiesk.blogspot.com/

[Golan2072]

History of Valiesk in the last 100 years (part 1)

1917-1919 - the Soviet Republic of Valiesk
Up until the February Revolution (1917), Valiesk was nothing more than a backward province of the Russian Empire, albeit with a naval station at the district capital of Igorgrad. The island's population was mostly composed of fishermen, hill-country peasants and a minority of workers in the shipping and shipbuilding industry. The February Revolution and the fall of the Czar replaced the provincial administration with a Soviet of Workers', Peasants' and Sailors' Deputies, initially with a Social-Revolutionary majority and Bolshevik and Menshevik minorities. The bulwark of the revolution in Valiesk came not from the natives, but from Navy sailors stationed at Igorgrad, who brought modern political ideas from the mainland.

The upheavals of 1917 gradually moved the local electorate to the left, and in November 1917, a new Soviet was elected with a left S-R majority; the left S-Rs formed a coalition government with the Bolsheviks and declared Valiesk an independent socialist republic.

Then came the Russian Civil War. Several times, the White armies, assisted by the British and German navies, tried to take Valiesk from the Red government; twice they succeeded, only to be overthrown by a Red counter-offensive, creating massive destruction. Finally, in 1919, a British-led White invasion conquered Valiesk and held it.

1919-1940 - the Republic of Valiesk
Following the British-White conquest of Valiesk, a provisional government was formed with a Nationalist majority, and Valiesk was declared an independent republic. While nominally a parliamentary democracy, the young Republic soon started to show ever-increasing authoritarian tendencies, with its President Michail Darilov becoming little more than a dictator. While some British and German investments brought with them some development of Igorgrad and its environs, corruption was rife, and the vast majority of the Valieskan population remained in backward villages on the coast or in the hilly country in the middle of the island.

Relations with the nearby Soviet Union were strained at best, with Darilov building up paranoia about an impending Soviet invasion in order to consolidate his rule. In 1935, Darilov crowned himself President for Life and the Eternal Protector of Valiesk. However, in mere five years, his life, and presidency, would come to an end with the Nazi invasion of Valiesk at the dawn of the Second World War.

[Golan2072]

History of Valiesk in the last 100 years (part 2)

1940-1944 - German Protectorate of Valiesk
The Third Reich invaded Valiesk on February 1940, taking the backward island nation by surprise with a naval invasion backed up with a massive paratrooper attack. President for Life Darilov was killed on the second day of the attack when a Luftwaffe bomb penetrated his bunker under the Presidental palace in Igorgrad, leaving the nation leaderless and critically damaging the Valieskan national morale, which was built up for two decades as a cult of personality of Darilov. Soon enough, after two weeks of fighting, Valkiesk surrendered to the invader.

The Whermacht set up a colonial administration in Valiesk called the German Protectorate of Valiesk, and proceeded to squeeze out every last bit of profit they could from the local industry and workforce, as well as from the coffers of the former Darilov administration. Most of Valiesk's Jewish population of 60,000 were murdered by Nazi firing squads, and many Valieskan workers were shipped to Germany as slave workers.

The Valieskan people resisted these atrocities, forming partisan groups in the mountains in central Valiesk and fighting a guerrilla war against the occupation. Later on, in 1943, they began receiving air-dropped supplies and weapons from the Soviet Union. While a thorn at the side of the Third Reich, the Valieskan partisans were unable to liberate their island from the Nazi occupation. But then the Red Naval Infantry came.

1944-1990 - the People's Republic of Valiesk
The Red Army attacked the German forces in Valiesk in mid-1944 using a massive Naval Infantry landing force, with powerful air and naval artillery support. After three months of intensive fighting and many casualties, the Red Naval Infantry liberated the entire island. Without much delay, they set up a provisional government under the leadership of Boris Nobrinsky, leader of the local partisans. In 1946, a year after the victory in the Great Patriotic War, this provisional government was transformed into a pro-soviet People's Republic of Valiesk, ruled by the United People Party of Valiesk.

Under communist rule, Valiesk was rapidly industrialized, its villages turned into mechanized cooperatives, its fishing boats motorized and the industry at Igorgrad and the other major cities vastly expanded; in 1976, a nuclear power plant was installed near Igorgrad. With the proximity of the pro-Western Scandinavian nations and Western Germany, of course, it was also heavily militarized, with several Red Banner Fleet submarine bases, Red Fleet naval bases, ICBM silos and a large, powerful army equipped with the latest Soviet arms.

Its proximity to the NATO states also made Valiesk a primary setting for cold-war maneuvering and espionage, with multiple listening posts and similar military intelligence targets based on the island. The local KGB branch was accordingly buffed out and heavily funded by both local resources and funds from the mainland.

Up until 1978, People's Valiesk's economy was constantly on the rise, owing to massive industrialization and to the establishment of many new coal and iron mines in its hills and mountains. However, during the late Brezhnev era, Valiesk's economy started to suffer from the same recession which engulfed the entire Warsaw pact in these years, and public unrest - almost unheard of until then - started to grow. Then, in 1990, the Soviet Union withdrew its forces from Valiesk, and the People's Republic disappeared almost overnight.

[Arlequín]

Good look with this project, I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with it. There's one or two similar blogs around that you might want to keep an eye on too. A photograph or map or two will also help with the presentation. While it's good to keep people advised of your progress via LAF, posting everything here that is on your blog here doesn't give people any reason to visit your blog.

I'm following it now and looking forwards to seeing what you come up with! 

[Golan2072]

Thanks!

The blog will have more graphical contents in it, while here I mostly post text for discussion. And yes, I'll create a map of Valiesk soon.

[Golan2072]

The final installment of Valiesk's history was posted on the blog.

[Golan2072]

factions have been posted on my blog.

[Belgian]

Nice line of events and factions! I will certainly follow the project with interest!

Greets,

[Golan2072]

Thanks!

[General Roos]

Looking foward to see some pics!

[Golan2072]

Mini Photos coming your way... Check the blog!

[General Roos]

The pics was a bit dark but it looks interesting. I like the background story. You have to post a battle report later (with pics).
 

[Golan2072]

I've been thinking about how to build each faction in terms of 15mm miniatures, for the time being a platoon or so of each in most cases.

Loyalists: 3 squads of QRF Soviet Paratroopers (or maybe Rifle Motor Infantry?), 3x QRF BTR-70s.
Rebels: 3 squads of QRF US M4 Infantry, 1 QEF US Infantry Command Team, 4x Irishserb Hummers.
Village Militia: 15mm.co.uk Rim Mercenaries.
Vory v. Zakone: Rebel Minis Armed Gunmen. Maybe with stolen T-55s? stolen BTR-60s? Hummers?
Red Front: 3 squads of Khurasan Miniatures Resistance Fighters, 1x QRF (or Peter Pig?) T-55, 1x QRF (or Peter Pig?) GAZ-66 flatbed technical with a machinegun.
Black Freedom: Rebel Minis Post-Apocalyptic Survivors, Rebel Minis Bikers.
White Legion: Undecided yet (input welcome).
Russian Spetznaz: 16 figures of Rebel Minis Spetznaz, 2x QRF Mil Mi-24 Hind Es.
German KSK: Rebel Minis German KSK, 2x QRF Little Bird MH-6s.
US Special Forces: Rebel Minis US Special Forces, 2x QRF Little Bird MH-6s.

Additional input and comments would be welcome.

[Golan2072]

Allright, I've just ordered 3 squads of Motor Rifle Infantry from QRF to serve as Loyalist infantry (and generic TL7 infantry for Traveller/ Tech 3 infantry for Stars Without Number).

[AKULA]

Mini Photos coming your way... Check the blog!

Better still....post some on here, and then maybe more people will have a look at your blog.