The liberation of the Upper Peninsula by the People’s Republic of Wisconsin was viewed by most as a noble endeavor. Piracy ran rampant in the region, unpoliced by Yooper statesmen until President Phil initiated the ‘Totally Wipe Out the YFC’ campaign, beginning the First Vacation War, cleansing the region of criminal activity. Citizens of Iron Mountain and Marquette immediately saw a shift of quality of living, and the news had reached the rest of the YFC that Gurt’s legacy was being put to ruin by the WPP’s prosperity.

On Easter weekend, Leader Phil once again declared war against the Yooper Freedom Club, and immediately began Operation Jacobetti. Thousands of Wisconsinite soldiers poured across the nebulous border of the Upper Peninsula, stopping at nothing to continue their march to the Superior border. Surprisingly, the citizenry of Munising were immediately amicable to Jacobetti's pledge of prosperity, and declared their desertion of the YFC before 1st Regiment Wisconsinite troops reached the town.

Escanaba and Gladstone were not as inviting. Partisans of the YFC rose from the banks of the Escanaba river only when Wisconsinite soldiers of the 2nd Regiment had fully entered Gladstone, articulating an elaborate flanking maneuver that, despite its skill, was floundered by poor equipment and little professional training. The guerilla fighters were quickly overwhelmed by the Wisconsinite military, and the organizer of the group — Daniel Olli — was unceremoniously gunned down by a unit of the 12th Wausau Riflemen. After their leader’s death, the YFC remnants quickly crumbled, and were eventually apprehended by the People’s Army.

While the 2nd Regiment garrisoned in Gladstone to obliterate piracy, the 3rd Wisconsin Regiment made headway for the border with a detachment of their counterpart’s artillery units. Although the Regiment succeeded in a bloodless capture of Manistique, it wasn’t long until partisans of the YFC caught Wisconsinite troops trudging in patrol through the muddy flats of Bear Creek Swamp, and opened fire zealously. While the 2nd Regiment had no problem repelling the feeble fighters of the Freedom Club, it was soon realized that there were other forces at play.

As infantry skirmished in the swamps of Manistique, a small group of men, referring to themselves as the Raco Field Rangers, descended upon the unprepared Wisconsinites with ten ornately-painted M4 Shermans with the intention to cause as much chaos as possible. The Rangers fired upon the field troops with moxie, dashing between clusters of forest to avoid the middling Wisconsinite anti-tank guns. After several hours, the Rangers disengaged, leaving the invading force curious as to their motives. Not a single Raco Ranger was captured, and many Wisconsinite soldiers feared that a return of the tank crew could spell disaster for the 3rd Regiment. Regardless, they were forced to march on from Manistique, and reached the SCS border by early morning, completing their mission to completely destroy the Yooper Freedom Club.

CASUALTIES

[WISCONSIN ANNEXES GL065 (As Normal), GL064, AND GL067.]