World War III (Ism vs Ism)

The Third World War (also known as the Super War, the War of Ism, and the Endgame War) was a large war that covered every inhabited continent in the world (including small expeditions in Antarctica) and spanned from 2023 to 2041. It began in April 2023 when Indonesia invaded Australia and quickly spilled out to include every country in the world. The name 'War of Ism' comes from the number of 'Isms' that were largely present in most sides. (Communism, Islamism and Hinduism are among many)

The Years Before the War
Communism was reignited in 2018. China, Vietnam, Laos and North Korea funded communist coups in Indonesia, the Philippines and Cambodia. Cuba mostly waited in the shadows but sent military assistance to a coup in Haiti in December 2018, and also assisted an invasion of the Dominican Republic in January the following year. The two then united and invaded more of the Caribbean islands to form the People's Caribbean Republic, also known as Caribbea. Donald Trump, President of the United States, feared a Third World War against communism and tried to negotiate with Caribbea.

It was not just communism making a surge. In the Middle East, former members of ISIS, which was destroyed by the coalition late 2017, spread among countries with Muslim majorities (especially Iraq, Yemen, Egypt and Saudi Arabia) and gained popularity before launching their own coups. The Arab League was now dominated by terrorist Muslims. The few Muslim countries who had so far not been involved in coups were invaded during the course of 2019 to form the Islamic Empire, which held control as far as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Algeria, and most countries in between. The European Union feared the Islamic Empire would attack Europe, and imposed minor sanctions on the empire. Russia was concerned for both the communist nations and for the Islamic Empire. In preparation for all-out war, Russia stepped up its nuclear program and its naval presence in the Black and Caspian seas, as well as annexing countries in Caucasus and Eastern Europe.

In 2020, Trump took control of the American Senate and ordered the building of a wall on the border with Mexico, to stop the illegal immigrants. Mexico, outraged, formed an alliance with Caribbea and the rest of Latin America, in the hope of destroying the wall and invading the United States. Some South American countries also joined the alliance.

For the next three years, the world stood waiting. A number of minor conflicts occurred during this period, including:

- the Republic of Ireland invaded Northern Ireland, and held back the United Kingdom until a peace treaty was finally formed in January 2023.

- South Korea landed on North Korean shores in June 2022, with military support from Japan. China aided North Korean in defeating the South, and also convinced Pyongyang to avoid reacting with its nuclear arsenal.

- Israel managed to hold back the Islamic Empire until it was finally defeated late 2022.

- the European Union wrested northern Cyprus from Turkish control. This was to obtain a military base close to the Islamic Empire's shores.

- India invaded Chinese-controlled Tibet and claimed it for the Dalai Lama. A peace treaty was formed late 2022 to formally hand the region to India, who returned the Dalai Lama to his homeland under the condition that Tibet became Indian territory. Limited autonomy was granted.

- Indian control of Tibet meant that Nepal and Bhutan were vulnerable. Both countries attacked Indian land in an effort to reduce their vulnerability. The early success was short-lived, and India quashed the two in March 2023. India also invaded Bangladesh the previous month, to prevent Bhutan cutting off its western regions.

Now, the world watched with bated breath, as international relations slowly crumbled.

Alliances
Provided are a list of new alliances, and occuring events in these alliances before the war.

- European Union - Ireland leaves the European Union, while the United Kingdom maintains an alliance with the EU. The EU condemns Russia's invasion of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, but says nothing lest it provoke further invasion.

- Balkan Alliance - In January 2023, the countries of Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania form an alliance. Kosovo fears invasion and increases its army, while forming an alliance with the EU.

- Latin American Alliance - As mentioned above, Mexico formed an alliance with countries in Central and South America.

- Pact of Zedong - Named for China's first communist leader, the communist states of the Far East form a pact in 2019.

- Central Alliance - The countries of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Thailand, Myanmar and Brunei fear invasion from communist China and buy nuclear weapons from India through the Central Alliance of 2022. In February 2023, the countries of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan also join this alliance.

- United Nations - The alliances mentioned above have weakened the United Nations. Some countries in Africa, the Far East, and the Americas come closer together to act on the threats. The members of the European Union also became involved in these affairs.

- Pacific Pact - As part of the United Nations, and to act on the communist threat, the Pacific Islands and the countries of Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan created an alliance.

- American Pact - Like the Pacific Pact, the American Pact was part of the UN, and consisted of Canada, the USA, Brazil and Uruguay. France and the UK were also involved with the pact.

- African Pact - The last of the three UN pacts was created in the face of the Islamic threat.

The Beginning of the War
On April 6th 2023, the Indonesian president took a plane flight to Sydney, Australia, where he was to discuss naval practices in the Arafura and Timor seas. Over the past week, the anticipated event was heavily covered by the media as it was meant to be the beginning of peace talks between the communist powers and the UN.

However, the plane was shot down over Australia's Northern Territory. When word reached Jakarta that their leader had not reached Sydney, they demanded to know the fate that had befallen him. On the tenth, four American tourists called emergency services to report a plane crash. The Australian military arrived on scene, and confirmed that it was the same plane in which the Indonesian president was travelling to Sydney in.

Indonesia was quick to blame Australia, and on the fifteenth declared war on Australia. It is widely believed that training military forces identified the plane and mistook it for an Indonesian fighter jet. However, no information was ever released that could confirm this belief.

Nonetheless, Indonesia and Australia were at war, and from there the dominoes began to fall.

2023


When Indonesia first declared war on Australia, it was quickly identified that whoever controlled Papua New Guinea would have an advantage in the Austro-Indonesian War, as it was then named. PNG bordered Indonesia to the east, which meant that Australia could use it to suppress the Indonesians on land while their navy suppressed from the south. Indonesia could use it to isolate Australia, and it would also allow easy access to the Coral Sea, where Indonesia could bombard Australia's eastern coast.

Although Australia already had some military presence in PNG, those troops would have to be reinforced by sea from the port cities of Cairns and Townsville, several hundred kilometres away. Indonesia's border with PNG meant that any troops in New Guinea could immediately attack, before reinforcements came from nearby islands.

The order came to Australia's troops in PNG to remain in the city of Port Moresby, and hold it off until reinforced. Only then could they go on the offensive. Indonesia took opportunity of this and overtook the western half of the country. Because of this, they now had small access to the Torres Strait. It wasn't enough, however, as the first three Indonesian warships to travel through the Strait were sunk by aircraft based in the town of Bamaga, on the tip of Queensland's Cape York Peninsula. Indonesia bit back with regular air strikes on the city of Darwin.

But if they were to gain the winning edge in the war, Indonesia would have to land troops in Australia, and keep them in there. While deliberating over the best places to land troops, Indonesia invaded neutral East Timor, as well as the Malaysian and Bruneian territory in Borneo. This did not go down well with Malaysia, however, and they declared war on Indonesia. A month later, Singapore and New Zealand declared war as well, and the Philippines also entered the war, on Indonesia's side. Further away from the front line, most of the remaining UN members wished not to be caught up in the war, however Canada and France also sent military support to Australia.

Meanwhile, New Zealand troops landed in the Solomon Islands to reinforce Australia's PNG troops, who had finally received the promised troops from Cairns. Filipino forces were already on the front line in New Guinea, and Malaysia conducted artillery bombing on Sumatra and Borneo. All the while Indonesia knew it had to invade Australia.

In October, the Indonesians and Filipinos pushed harder on the Australian and New Zealand troops. After several months, neither side had gotten anywhere in the harsh jungle conditions. Finally, Indonesia came to a decision about its invasion of Australia. The plan was to first land troops in Nhulunby, in the north-west Northern Territory, as a distraction for Australian troops. Five hours later, they would land troops in Bamaga. At the same time, a Filipino battalion would land in Weipa, in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The Filipinos' objective was to march down the road from Weipa until the intersection with the road to Bamaga, so as to cut off further Australian reinforcements to Bamaga, and to prevent the Australians in Bamaga from retreating. From there, it would be a continuous push south, and two more landings were to be made. A landing in Karumba, south of Weipa, would further direct Australian attention, and a small platoon would be parachuted in Burketown.

On the sixth of November at midnight, the Nhulunby landing went ahead, then the remaining landings. All were successful. By the end of December, the French and Canadian troops had reached Australia, but the Indonesians had taken much of Arnhem Land and Cape York, and were within striking distance of Cairns. The Karumba and Burketown Indonesians had connected, and were advancing north to the troops in Cape York. Advance continued in PNG. What would happen next was anyone's guess.

2024


January was another tough time. The Indonesians took more territory and even landed in Darwin. Cairns was overrun, and the Battles of Wau and Kerema, in PNG, opened the gates to a battle in Port Moresby. The difference was that Indonesia was now facing pressure. South Korea and Japan declared war on Indonesia and invaded the Filipino island of Luzon. The battles of Vigan and Pagudpud were instant victories, which meant that the Philippines had to withdraw most of its forces from Cape York.

South Korea feared that North Korea would launch a nuclear missile in retaliation to the invasion of its ally, and so ordered an air strike on known nuclear plants in the North. Most missiles were destroyed as a result, but North Korea was provoked into declaring war on the South, as did China immediately after.

Landmines in the DMZ meant that neither of the Koreas could invade each other by land. Therefore, Beijing and Pyongyang discussed the best coastal areas to attack, while Japan launched an immediate attack along North Korea's eastern coast. The attack took the North by surprise, and they were more confused when the South attacked their western coast. Within a month, the entire of North Korea was completely run over, although the Chinese launched a counterattack and drew them back almost all the way to the DMZ. At the same time, Indonesia had overrun PNG, and advanced further south from Cape York (A New Zealand battalion had effectively halted them in Arnhem Land). Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia declared war on Australia and its supporters, and within a week had opened artillery fire on Singapore and Malaysia. Brunei faced a direct threat, and declared war on the communist powers. The remainder of the Central Alliance did the same, and reaffirmed its place within the UN.

A new front was now opened, as Kazakhstan and Mongolia advanced towards each other to form a supply line between the two. India declared war on the Islamic Empire, and invaded the eastern regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. To aid the invasion, the Central Alliance pressured Tajikistan to join. Tajikistan remained neutral, and the Islamics annexed the country. Nonetheless, the Central Alliance took Tajikistan off the Islamics within a month, and the supply line was whole. This was now the longest front line in the entire war, stretching from Hulun Buir in Manchuria, all the way around the Chinese border to Trat on the Thai-Cambodian border.

Russia feared the front would spread into Siberia, and so declared war on the Central Alliance, the Communist powers, and the Islamic Empire, and launched an invasion of Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Manchuria. Its huge focus on these fronts meant it could not afford war with the EU at the same time. Russia therefore promised to sign a non-aggression pact with the EU. The Balkan Alliance, on the other hand, rejected a non-aggression pact, and promptly invaded Montenegro. The EU declared war on the Balkan Alliance, and also invaded the Islamic Empire's regions of Morocco and Tunisia. Finally, the members of the African Pact declared war on the Islamic Empire, in support of the EU.

This left the Latin American Alliance, which had so far averted conflict with the UN. That was, until member Colombia acted of its own accord and launched artillery fire on far-western Brazil, before officially stating that this was the work of unknown terrorists. This did not stop Brazil from declaring war, and the United States, knowing the risk of an invasion from Mexico, supported them and invaded the peninsula of Baja California.

This was the only major action to occur in the last three months of 2024, as the remaining fronts came to a standstill.

2025


Australia's troops had dug in on the Cape York Peninsula. The fighting had been reduced to firing from a distance, with little sight of the enemy. The New Zealanders, on the other hand, were well pushing back in Arnhem Land. The Indonesians there were reduced to a few toeholds around Nhulunby, but they made up for this with a landing in Singapore and Malaysia. Here, Thailand was taking over in fighting Indonesia, and sending Malaysian refugees to the Indian Subcontinent, as though Thailand was in complete control of the situation. In truth, the Indonesian attack had stretched them, as they were already in desperation defending themselves in Indochina.

The Philippines, with China's aid, drove back the Japanese to a few toeholds on the northern Luzon coast. Eventually, Japan signed a pact with the communist powers, as Russian artillery bombarded Japan without declaration of war. When the same was done in Poland and Romania, this was the last straw for the EU, who declared war on the Russian Federation. Russia responded with a sudden attack into Finland and Poland, before going on the defensive. Their intention was to knock out Kazakhstan and Mongolia early to focus on the stronger EU.

The Latin American Pact faced a different problem, which was that its countries were separated by neutral nations, evident in Brazil's success in Paraguay. Thus Chile invaded Argentina to provide support to Paraguay, while Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela invaded Peru. Both invaded countries, taken by surprise, retreated to Brazil and Uruguay. Troops were quickly launched to counter the attacks. By June, both Argentina and Peru were without any unoccupied territory.

The African Pact were also separated by neutral nations, a heavy problem when the Islamic Empire was invading all territory it could. Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Benin had all fallen, and South Sudan and the Central African Republic were to come next.

India renewed attempts to connect with its Central Allies to the north-west, but the Islamic Empire advanced from Pakistan. Morale was low, and Muslim terrorists weakened its inner structure. The UN Allies were also in trouble, as Mexico launched an invasion of the southern United States and Russian troops landed in Alaska.

At the same time, Ethiopia, Cameroon and the CAR joined the war on the Allied side, but it appeared that the war would be a lost cause for the UN Allies.

2026
2025 had been a grim year for the Allies. January 2026 appeared even more grim, as Russia thrust into Alaska, Poland and Mongolia, the latter of which became the first country in the war to surrender. Russia and China agreed to split the country roughly halfway between the two, and China transferred more troops to pressure India. Mexico launched an offensive into Baja California, isolating American troops on the tip of the peninsula, and Caribbea landed in Florida. The Islamic Empire took out South Sudan and the CAR in February and seemed an unstoppable force. Yet there was some hope for the Allies.

Australia launched a sudden offensive in Cape York, retaking Cairns and other towns, and the Indonesian presence in Nhulunby was entirely wiped out. Paraguay surrendered to the Allies, and Argentina was almost entirely free of Chilean control. South Korea had again taken all of North Korea, and this time the Chinese counteroffensive was destroyed. Thailand bounced back, reviving all lost territory and even forcing Cambodia into surrender. Sri Lankan troops landed in Singapore and successfully defeated Indonesia. Malaysia returned to the war and allowed Thai troops to return home. European landings went ahead on the Algerian coast to connect the two front lines, and Greek troops bombarded Egypt's northern coast, particularly Alexandria.

The attack reduced Islamic morale, yet its troops were still determined to overrun Africa. The result of this was the DR Congo joining the war on the Allied side after an invasion in its north. Congolese forces drove back the Islamics with immense power and reignited Allied morale across the globe.

This wasn't to last. On September 26, China launched a nuclear missile. The missile hit its target, Darwin in Northern Australia, and killed more than 50,000 civilians. Australia responded angrily by furthering its offensive against Indonesia, and vowing to never stop until the communist enemies were defeated. Australia's allies also condemned the attack, but with every side bar the Latin American Pact having nuclear weapons, more of these attacks were to come.