Pressburger-Columbian War

The pressburger-Columbian War, also known as the Communist-Columbian War, was a brief military conflict that took place between The United Colonies of Columbia and The Union of Interstellar Communes in 2579. The war saw the destruction of the bulk of the UIC's space fleet, the closure of the Jefferson-Pressburg gateway, and contributed to the end of totalitarianism in the UIC.
The cause of the war is still debated, but it was at least partially the result of resource scarcity in the Pressburg system, and a subsequent desire of the UIC to exert control over the resource-rich and lightly defended Jefferson system. Beginning on April 1st, 2579, the UIC's navy began performing military exercises near the gateway to Jefferson. This prompted the UCC to deploy naval forces to the other side of the gateway, but the confederal government was reluctant to close the gateway, due to the high antimatter cost to reopen it.
On May 1st, the UIC flagship, the Engels, along with numerous other vessels unexpectedly passed through the gateway and engaged the Columbian fleet on the other side. The defenders were caught off-guard, having been repeatedly preparing for attacks that never came for an entire month at that point. The Columbian fleet took heavy losses, and was forced to retreat within only two hours. However, during the engagement the UCS Pioneer hit the Engels' primary radiator with a coilgun round. The radiator, which had been retracted during the battle to minimise the risk of damage, was unable to extend once the Columbian fleet had retreated. The Engels quickly began overheating and risking a reactor overload. The UIC admiral, Leo O'Mangan, refused to disperse the fleet or evacuate the Engels, fearing Columbian strikes against exposed vessels, and believing that the flagship's crew could repair the radiator in time.
The UIC fleet continued its advance toward Columbia, but at 2100 hours on May 2nd, the Engels' antimatter reactor overloaded, causing a colossal explosion that vapourised more than half of the fleet, and killed Admiral O'Mangan. Vice Admiral Henriette Badeaux took command, and ordered that the assault on Columbia continue. The fleet reached Columbia on May 29th, and broke through the local defences. Transport ships landed across the planet, but many missed their designated landing positions due to a combination of poor training, damage from the Engels' reactor explosion, and electronic warfare by the Columbians. Pressburger forces on the ground were largely too disorganised to achieve their objectives, and after several weeks of fighting most had surrendered to local militias.
A corporate fleet of the Colonial Development Fund arrived in Jefferson from the gateway to the Ashford system on July 2nd to reinforce the Columbians. Seeing that her situation was hopeless, Badeaux requested a ceasefire on July 3rd, but the UCC's government did not accept until July 4th, at which point the UCC fleet was permitted to return to Pressburg, and the gateway was disabled behind them on July 22nd.
Victory in this conflict has been a source of pride for Columbian patriots ever since, in particular the role of militias and volunteer fighters in defeating the invading Pressburger forces is lauded. However, critics of this view point out that the ground war had little to do with the Columbian victory, which was primarily the result of the destruction of the Engels and the arrival of the CDF fleet.

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Space

Start Date

2579-5-1

Ending Date

2579-7-4

Conflict Result

Columbian Victory

Location

Jefferson