Circum-Pacific War

The Circum-Pacific War (also referred to as the Belkan Conflict) was a large-scale war waged by the Osean Federation and the Union of Yuktobanian Republics. It was revealed that the war was sparked by a secret Belkan organization known as the Grey Men.

Prelude
In 1995, after discovering natural resources in Ustio, Belka invaded its neighbors in powerful blitz attacks spearheaded by the Belkan Air Force. A coalition of Osean and Ustian fighters, along with some mercenary squadrons as well as a bit of support from Yuktobania, managed to nearly win the war. In June of 1995, Belka set off seven nuclear bombs in the Waldreich Mountains to stave off the invading forces. A treaty was then signed by all of the involved countries, and the Belkan War was over.

Osea and Yuktobania, who were previously in a Cold War, settled their differences during the Belkan War, and became powerful allies after the war. The two countries enjoyed a time of peace for about 15 years, during which they completed projects such as the Basset Space Center. During this time, a secret organization began to take charge from behind the scenes in Belka. Naming themselves the Grey Men, they took control of various facilities such as Mount Schirm, Stier Castle, and the South Belka Munitions Plant. Their plan was to ignite tensions between Osea and Yuktobania to start a war between the two superpowers, to wear them out for a direct attack and reclaim Belka's lost land and honor.

The Opening Stages
On September 24th, 2010, the 108th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Wardog Squadron) was performing a training mission when an unknown squadron of MiG-29s entered the airspace. The engagement cost the lives of every trainee but one (Kei Nagase) and two of the three instructors (the remaining instructor was Captain Jack Bartlett). Wardog's assigned base, Sand Island Air Force Base, and the remaining Wardog pilots on the ground were unharmed.

Later that same day, another unknown aircraft had entered Osean airspace. Wardog attempted to force the plane to land, but once again, a squadron of unknown fighters entered the airspace and engaged the squadron. This time, Wardog held their own and shot down all of the hostile aircraft.

On September 27th, a spy vessel was spotted near Sand Island, having deployed drones to spy on the base. Wardog Squadron once again took flight, and shot down all of the spy drones (with orders not to damage the ship). Once more, a squadron of unknown fighters engaged Wardog, but they were shot down as well. The spy vessel then fired an anti-aircraft missile at Nagase, but Bartlett ran interference and took the shot. He ejected over the waters, but he was never located by the rescue helicopter and was declared MIA. While the remaining members of Wardog returned to base, Yuktobania officially declared war on Osea.

Simultaneous to their declaration of war, Yuktobania launched an assault on St. Hewlett, one of Osea's top naval ports which was housing the 3rd Osean Naval Fleet's flagship, the OFS Kestrel, at the time. Wardog Squadron rendezvoused with other allied squadrons in the area and managed to escort the Kestrel to open waters, safe from harm.

Later that evening, just as things began to wind down, a surprise bombing raid began on Sand Island. Wardog once again took to the skies. During the attack, Lieutenant Colonel and 108th TFS leader Ford attempted to land, but was shot down and killed on his approach. Airman First Class Hans Grimm took off during the attack, and officially joined Wardog Squadron (other pilots being Alvin H. Davenport and "Blaze", the latter being assigned new leader of the 108th). They managed to fend off the attack on the base before any serious damage was done.

Osea's Counterattack
Osea quickly began to draw plans to prepare a counterattack against Yuktobania. Utilizing their three aircraft carriers (Kestrel, Vulture, and Buzzard), the 3rd Osean Naval Fleet brought them and allied air support to the Eaglin Straits in northern Osea for a rendezvous operation. Near the end of the operation, Yuktobanian carrier jets infiltrated the airspace and launched a surprise attack on the carriers. The aircraft were all shot down by Osea's aircraft, but then two Burst Missiles from the underwater carrier Scinfaxi were deployed. They succeeded in destroying the Vulture and Buzzard as well as the majority of Osea's fighters - only the Kestrel, the Kestrel's squadron, and Wardog Squadron made it out alive. Wardog retreated to Heierlark Air Force Base.

Osea then decided to deploy the Arkbird, a large maneuverable spacecraft capable of attacking from orbit, into battle. They launched an operation to re-attach the lower laser component, via SSTO, that had been removed a few years ago as part of peaceful negotiations. The Mass Driver that was due to launch the SSTO was brought under attack by Yuktobanian aircraft, but Wardog (who had landed at McNealy on their route back to Sand Island) ran interference and allowed a successful launch.

The laser component was attached to the Arkbird just in time for Yuktobania to attempt an attack on Sand Island a second time. They launched a large naval force to land on the base and take it from the ground. Wardog Squadron defended the base and managed to hold back the oncoming fleet, which deployed the Scinfaxi in response. All of the rookie pilots that had just joined Wardog Squadron were shot down in the attack, but thanks to help from the Arkbird, the remaining Wardog members managed to destroy the Scinfaxi.

A few weeks after Yuktobania's attempt to take Sand Island, a secret operation was planned by Osean President Vincent Harling. He attempted to travel to North Point, a neutral country in this war, to hold a peace talk with Yuktobania Prime Minister Seryozha Viktorovich Nikanor. However, Osea's air defenses, not recognizing the secret transport plane the President was using, attempted to shoot down the plane. The plane was damaged, and due to the actions of a spy on-board, the plane was forced to make an emergency landing somewhere in Akerson Hill. Wardog Squadron had defended the plane until it succeeded in landing, where they relinquished cover to the 8492nd Squadron. However, the President was not seen after this incident for another two months; from then on, Osean Vice President Applerouth took command of the Osean military. Soon afterward, the Arkbird was put out of commission by unknown operatives planting an explosive device on a shipment from Earth. The Osean military could not take action on the orbiting satellite, so they ignored the issue.

Invading Yuktobania and the Terrorist Attacks
The Osean military launched Operation: Footprint on October 31, 2010, taking the fight to Yuktobania for the first time and establishing a beachhead on the Bastok Peninsula. Two days later, Yuktobanian forces attempted to egress supplies from the area in transport planes to create a large frontline ahead of the Osean military. Wardog Squadron was deployed to shoot down all of the transport planes. However, during this operation, an engineering college in Yuktobania was fired upon by what appeared to be Osean forces. This was later determined to be the doing of the 8492nd Squadron, but due to the jamming in the area, they were invisible to radar. Wardog, being the only Osean squadron on radar in the area, was called to Oured for questioning.

During Wardog's trial at Oured, Yuktobanian special forces began a terrorist attack in response to the terrorist attack on Yuktobanian soil. They targeted Apito International Airport with a force of commandos as well as Bana City with a chemical weapon. Osea's Capital District Air Defense Squadron was launched to suppress one attack while Wardog Squadron (due to there being no other options) was launched to suppress the other. Immediately following the attacks, the Osean military began to take care of the war as quickly as they could. They launched two secret operations deep within Yuktobanian territory to destroy their supplies, then began a fast-track inland operation to take the capital city, Cinigrad, in short order.

When the operation began, however, Yuktobania deployed the Scinfaxi's sister ship, the Hrimfaxi, and fired Burst Missiles from the Razgriz Straits at the ground troops, preventing their advance. Wardog Squadron flew north to destroy the submarine as it was refueling. The destruction of the Hrimfaxi in the Razgriz Straits earned Wardog the nickname "Demons of Razgriz" and made them the center of the Osean military's morale.

The war came to a head in the Jilachi Desert. Osea launched a campaign to take vital Yuktobanian positions in the desert. With the help of Wardog Squadron, the Jilachi Desert came under Osea's control, and they were inching ever closer to the capital of Cinigrad.

Wardog Squadron was then called to perform a fly-by during a peace ceremony in November City, followed by a patrol of the area as the Vice President gave a speech (which turned out to be pro-war rather than pro-peace). Yuktobanian aircraft penetrated the airspace and began a large assault. Reinforcements were called, but the 8492nd Squadron appeared once more, calling off the reinforcements claiming that the stadium attack was a drill. The reinforcements were called back after a short while, but by that time, Alvin H. Davenport had been killed in action. The attack was halted once reinforcements managed to arrive.

Over the next few days, Osean ground forces attempted to take Cruik Fortress, the final blockade in the path to Cinigrad. Wardog Squadron joined the ground troops on the third attempt, which proved successful as the ground troops broke through the northern wall. On the return trip, however, Wardog Squadron was bounced by the 8492nd Squadron, who showed their true colors as Belkan spies in the Osean military. This was unbeknownst to any other Osean aircraft or troops due to jamming in the area, and by the time Wardog made it back to Sand Island, the entire base was under the belief that they were spies. Wardog attempted to escape, but they were shot down by Marcus Snow of the Kestrel's air squadron. According to official records, all of the pilots were KIA in this engagement.

The Razgriz
Though they lost their pillar of morale, Osean forces continued to attempt to capture Cinigrad. Unfortunately, the ground troops, with no assistance from Wardog Squadron, could not take the capital city and fell back to a defensive position. The war entered a limbo stage at this point, with neither side having any notable victories after the capture of Cruik Fortress. until the final days of the war when osea manage to capture cinigrad.

Meanwhile, the members of Wardog Squadron, who had not perished during the engagement, were brought to the Kestrel and her fleet in secret. They, along with Marcus Snow, used captured airplanes to free President Harling, who they figured out was being held in Stier Castle in the Waldreich Mountains. After successfully rescuing him from Belkan forces, the President formed a secret squadron: the Razgriz Squadron, the members of whom were Marcus Snow and those from Wardog Squadron ("Blaze" as its leader, Kei Nagase as Razgriz 2, Snow as Razgriz 3, and Hans Grimm as Razgriz 4).

A secret message was transmitted to the Kestrel's fleet. It listed coordinates to Mount Schirm, a date and time, and the number of votes that President Harling received in his past two elections, indicating the message was for him. Blaze flew a solo reconnaissance mission to Mount Schirm to investigate what was going on, and it turned out that 8492nd Squadron members had infiltrated the area. In addition, the mine appeared to be housing Belka's V1 Tactical Nuclear Weapons. The President decided to seal the mine entrance, not allowing any more nuclear weapons to come to the surface. The Razgriz Squadron in full flew to the mine and sealed the entrance permanently. However, at least two nuclear weapons were already taken out of the mine by the time it was sealed.

Another secret message was transmitted to the Kestrel fleet. This time, it specified a location within Yuktobania. When the Razgriz Squadron flew there, they made contact with a resistance group that was attempting to dismantle a nuclear bomb that was sent to Yuktobania. They requested the Razgriz's help in staving off the Yuktobanian forces. Razgriz then engaged the Belkan 5th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Ofnir Squadron), the equivalent of the 8492nd that had infiltrated the Yuktobanian Air Force. Razgriz shot them down, but they all managed to bail out. The nuclear weapon was successfully dismantled. Razgriz also learned that the identity of the person sending the secret messages was none other than Jack Bartlett, who had been MIA for the past few months.

A secret transmission, this time in Belkan, was intercepted by the Kestrel fleet. It indicated that the Arkbird, which had been repaired and taken under Belkan control, had a nuclear weapon on-board and would drop it on Okchabursk, Yuktobania, which would frame Osea for the attack. The Razgriz Squadron managed to intercept the Arkbird and shoot it down into the ocean, safe from harm.

In the meantime, President Harling had been attempting to broadcast his voice to the Osean people to get them to see the truth. The Vice President, however, blocked it from airing, declaring it "enemy propaganda." The President and his Marine force flew into Oured to make sure that the President's voice was heard. The next day, the Razgriz Squadron was assigned to help Bartlett escape Yuktobania, with Yuktobanian Major Nastasya Vasilievna Obertas and Prime Minister Nikanor, the latter having been in prison for about as long as President Harling. The 8492nd Squadron was revealed to be the Belkan 229th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Grabacr Squadron) as they attempted to intercept, but they were all shot down by Razgriz. The Grabacr pilots managed to safely eject. The Major brought a disc that contained secret plans from the Grey Men, and the members of the Kestrel fleet began to decrypt it.

On December 29th, the Kestrel fleet encountered a Yuktobanian fleet. Prime Minister Nikanor attempted to broadcast his voice in a call for peace, but the Yuktobanian Fleet Commander claimed that Nikanor had joined the enemy and ordered his ships to fire on the fleet. The Razgriz Squadron was sent to destroy the Yuke fleet and defend three ships that had decided to defect and protect the Prime Minister. In the middle of the engagement, an Osean fleet came into the picture and fired on the Kestrel fleet for "siding with the Yukes." The fleet and the Razgriz managed to destroy all attacking forces.

The next day, the disc was decrypted, and it revealed plans for the V-2 Mass Retaliation Weapon. The Grey Men had loaded it onto the Strategic Orbital Linear Gun (or SOLG) and were controlling it from Gründer Industries, whose CEO was a member of the Grey Men. As the Razgriz were about to launch to destroy the control devices within a large tunnel that Gründer had been digging in Sudentor, the Kestrel was hit by two submarine-launched missiles. All of the crew safely escaped the ship, and the Razgriz Squadron managed to take off before it sank.

As the Razgriz Squadron flew to Sudentor, President Harling and Prime Minister Nikanor held a peace talk in Oured, officially ending the war and calling on their troops to assist the Razgriz Squadron against the true enemy. In a coalition of Yuktobanian and Osean troops, the Razgriz entered the tunnel and destroyed the control devices. However, the SOLG's fail-safe (which would initiate if it lost contact with the control devices) activated, sending it on a crash course to Oured. The next day, Razgriz Squadron flew for the final time, meeting the Ofnir and Grabacr Squadrons. Razgriz managed to shoot them all down, and then safely destroy the SOLG as it approached Oured.