One of the things the Tintin books oddly do not cover is Trans-Syldavia, that region north of the Syldavian Alps whose history which has been covered in this blog over the years. Now as you all know, in 1867 Trans-Syldavia was awarded to Borduria as part of hth Austro-Hungarian compromise and in WW1 Borduria supported the Austro Hungarian empire (when it looked like they would win) , whereas Syldavia had (belatedly) supported the Allies and was thus rewarded with Trans-Syldavia at the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
Of course, ever since then, Bordurian foreign policy as been to get Trans-Syldavia back, as it had given that most coveted of things, a route to the sea. When the attempt of Anschluss failed (covered in the Tintin book "King Ottokar's Sceptre" and Kûrvi-Tasch putsched Musstler out of power Borduria's aims were reduced to getting Trans-Syldavia back. Borduria has been "testing" the Syldavians by execrcsing" on teh borders and occasionally "accidently" going across it.
News hitting the wires today, it looks like phony war may be over.......our correspondent in Klow travelling to Szohod yesterday, had just breakfasted at the Hotel XXXX in the Syldavian border town of Kustomzs and was travelling the to the nearby border post when Bordurian cavalry clattered past racing the other way. On nearing border the post he realised it was now a Bordurian operational HQ and started to take some photographs when Bordurian troops raced up and ut him in the cell at the border post, along with a the Syldavian borders staff and a few hapless civilians caught up in the day.
Senior Bordurian Army staff at the border post near Kustomsz, as Bordurian armoured cars roll over into Syldavia
Fortunately the Bordurians were too busy with invading to pay them much notice, and in all the chaos no one had checked if the Syldavian border guards had keys to the cell (they did) and - no one is quite sure how - teh guards and he made their escape while the Bordurian officers were at lunch, making their way back carefully across country and he saw some of the action unfold.
Arriving long after dark (and nearly getting shot by jumpy Syldavian pickets near Kustomsz and wired this report.
"We escaped from the border post by crawling along a ditch for several hundred meters and them making a run for some woods .From there we saw Bordurian armouerd cars and horse artillery racing into Syldavia along the road to Kustomz. Soon affter that Bordurian infantry started marching through. We were nearly discovered when Bordurian infantry started moving close to the woods on the other side. They were Mountain troops, the Syldavian customs officials said.