2012 Iceland crisis

The 2012 Iceland crisis was a conventional civil war fought between the states of the Happyface State and New North Etana from April - August 2012, before intervention by a joint USA-Freezelandian force, over the disputed island of Iceland. It resulted in very little territorial change, with the Treaty of Sherby forcing both states to recognise each other's claims and the Iceland Neutral Zone being established, formally as a Freezelandian territory, to prevent conflict from arising. It began a question on how decentralised the USA was becoming, with many states using their national guards more like an army. Many have called for more federal control over state militaries after the Iceland crisis, which could had escalated into involvement from the Polaris SAD, which could had possibly had brought the AU and started a war between the USA and the AU.

Prelude to the war
Iceland was claimed to have been found by Archetian explorers during the Revolution and were settled by them in order to escape the war on the mainland. During the War of 2002, Iceland was one of the territorial concessions to the Happyface State, then the Kingdom of Happyface. A small city, also known as Iceland, was built in order to open the small island and remove it from isolation, however the Happyface State could care little for the small colony, which ruled itself. In fact, documents were lost proving the island actually belonged to the Happyface State. As one Icelander claimed, 'we were cared little for and we ruled ourselves basically, making a living mostly out of farming and fishing - that was the role of Iceland, a breadbasket'.

When New North Etana was recognised as a state, one of it's merchant naval vessels, although which one is unknown, docking in Enderby City noticed the island. It passed by the island, docking in a small fishing village, where it noticed some elements of civilisation. One of the sailors took pictures of the island before returning and somehow, it found it's way to the top of NNE, Idoreconise himself. Noticing the island was pretty much uncared for, they declared their intent to annex the island. The Happyface State realised that Iceland was their island and quickly responded by deploying a military force to the south of the island. Idoreconise deployed his militiamen (NNE had no National Guard at the time) to the north and with battle seemed likely, the South Pole Council stepped in and the two states agreed to partition the island. The city of Iceland was also divided in two, into North Iceland (New North Etana) and South Iceland the (Happyface State), although both didn't recognise each other's claims, claiming authority over the entire island. In order to further establish their claim, the Happyface State declared Iceland their capital. Snowzerland made an invasion of the island during the Great Snowzerland War I but were pushed back by the Mountain Spartans and the New North Etanian troops. Elements of Snoss architecture still remain.

On the 23rd March 2012, a gun battle occurred between a group known as the Iceland Rifles and the Police Department of Iceland, located in the Happyface State zone, resulting in the injury of three police officers and the arrest of the 6 gunmen. The gunmen originated from North Iceland, crossing the border to South Iceland and attacking several police officers. In response, the PDI called for the NNEs' police force, the Icelandic Constabulary, to allow permission for an investigation, which was granted. Happyface141, paranoid that it could had been an attempted terrorist attack sponsored by the Isle Agency, the state police force of New North Etana, called upon a rogue, pro-Happyface State branch of the EPF, the find whatever evidence they could. After concluding that one of the members of the Iceland Rifles was a former member of the New North Etana National Guard, Signal Corps, they used this as a cause to prepare for an invasion of NNE Iceland. They also fed numerous lies to the media, claiming that all six gunmen received training from the Isle Agency.

Noticing the build up of military forces at the border, New North Etana Border Control closed the border between Happyface State and New North Etana on the 2nd April. The Isle Agency deployed their own paramilitary forces at the Iceland border but no widespread military deployment occured. On the 12th April 2011, the Happyface State invaded NNE Iceland.

Early battles
The Isle Agency and the Icelandic Constabulary, plus the local police force, had little hope against the Mountain Spartans' vanguard. Holding their ground at several police stations, they were continuously pushed back by the Happyface State. They used tear gas to hold back the advance and sent out armed units and riot police but had little hope. Meanwhile, the Mountain Spartans rolled forward, using a combination of air and tank support to push them back. The Mountain Spartans suffered very little fatalities, with only 1 death, while 23 police officers lost their lives. The NNE Iceland administration surrendered to the Happyface State and the Happyface State flag was holstered above the former Iceland Capitol, in the NNE zone, now renamed Governor Happyface Council Hall.

Idoreconise was furious upon hearing what had happened. The New North Etana Senate hypermajority voted for the recapture of Iceland, including the Happyface State zone. 2 weeks later, a fleet from the New North Etana Naval Guard was dispatched to escort a task force from the New North Etana National Guard. Early warning radar from one of the NNE Naval Guard cutters, the NNES Charlestown, detected a small fleet, with few escort ships and a large majority of auxiliary ships. Realising that they could isolate the Happyface State's forces on the island by smashing their navy, they sent their only submarine, the NNES Covert to gather more data. The submarine monitored the naval force for two days whilst the NNE's fleet held back from attacking and noticed that the Happyface State fleet was entering shallow water, in which the submarine couldn't enter. It launched a torpedo attack on the flagship of the HFNM, a Destroyer called the SS Norton, sinking it. It was able to sink two transport ships, the SS Willow and the SS Sunbeam, before it withdrew to prevent's NNE's only submarine from being lost.

Admiral Thomas Wilson lead the rest of the NNE to attack the HS' fleet, which had docked inside a dockyard. The NNE fleet defeated the opposing HF State fleet and successfully isolated the forces on Iceland from resupply nautically. The naval vanguard of NNE surrounded the island and began shelling military targets. They were under constant harassment from the Happyface State Air Force; as a result, a quarter of the fleet was sent on radar picket duty. 3 HFAF planes were lost as a result, while no ships were sunk. The NNE National Guard's force landed 3 days after NNE's victory. The New North Etana Air Force was able to establish air superiority and cover to the landing forces as they came under fire from the Happyface State's planes. However the first troops from the NNENG had landed and were prepared to take the island.

Battle of Old Creak
The first challenge to pushing southwards towards the City of Iceland was the garrison at the town of Old Creek, held by the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the Mountain Spartans. The battle didn't happen at the town, but rather at a hilly area 2 miles north of Iceland. The 3rd Regiment dug in and formed what was already a natural fortress into a citadel. The Etanians did hold one distinct advantage; air and naval superiority. With air superiority, the Etanians would be able to drop air supplies and use air strikes to weaken the defender, whilst also harassing any reinforcements. Naval superiority meant that the defending force was cut-off from any supplies from the Happyface State and naval artillery could be used. However, as the attacking force was a contingent of light infantry, the defenders had heavy machine guns, trenches, artillery support and armour.

The Etanians planned to use basic hammer and anvil tactics; they would use their main component of their forces to attack the Mountain Spartan's positions, while it was bombarded by naval and air forces. Two forces would be landed southwest and southeast of the defenders, which would then be sent to surround the defenders and assault them. The Happyface State meanwhile planned to use their artillery and machine guns to wear down the attacking forces until their armour arrived. At 07:00, the main Etanian forces began to advance through the hilly environment. There were two trenches, one for where the main defensive action would occur and the second behind was for reserve forces and as a fullback position. The Etanians used the terrain to their advantage, meaning they took few casualties but were pinned down. Artillery bombardment by the Happyface State and the Etanians began at roughly the same time; at 07:06. The bombardment prevented any reserve forces from the second trench from moving up towards the first, while also preventing the main defenders from retreating to their fullback position.