Update 3 - Year 1904
Global Events:
In North America, fearful of the intensive Iroquois military build-up, the DTC government begins the construction of a massive fortification system.
It is almost finished, and is already even more imposing and massive then the Magyar Line.
Relatively quiet ever since the German Civil War, Europe erupts in wars this year:
In a sudden attack and sudden show of solidarity, Russian and German forces occupy the Baltic Federation.
Most of the country’s forces lay down arms after the initial bombardment and ground fighting (many argue that the amount of forces committed by Russia and Germany to this attack is definitely an overkill), and government was captured when trying to flee country.
Russians and Germans divide the nation, with Germany getting the industrious southern two-thirds, assisting, along with the completion of the “Five-Year” plan, the German economic and industrial growth.
Resistance is very light. This invasion triggers a war between Germany, Russia and Scandinavia.
(-10 Baltic divisions)
Germans expected this. They launched an attack on Jutland.
As it was protected only by two unprepared divisions, the peninsula is easily overrun.
Just before the land invasion, Russian and German fleets merge in the strait of Skaggerak (between Norway and Denmark), and assisted by the German air force, they launch a surprise attack on Scandinavian fleet in Aarhus.
In what is called by the Scandinavian Prime Minister Erik Peterssen “the day that will live in infamy”, five entire task forces are sunken by naval and aerial bombardment before Scandinavian fleet is ready to fight back.
Eventually, two Scandinavian task forces manage to fight their way out, while ships of three other remaining task forces are destroyed or surrender.
(-7 Scandinavian task forces, -1 Scandinavian division, -1 Russian task force, -2 German task forces, -3 German air wings)
Adding to that, Russians launch a well-coordinated air-land-and-sea invasion of Caucasus.
The small communist country fails to resist, and falls, it’s military decimated. Russians suffer moderate casualties, due to the guerilla resistance in the mountains.
The rich oil-fields, acquired by the Russian army, give a definite economic boom in Russia (+1 Economy).
However the plan to build the Moscow-Baghdad railroad through Caucasus is overruled by the Russian Duma, as impractical due to near-completion of the original rail-road, the mountainous terrain of Caucasus, and the continued armed resistance in parts of the country.
The leader of that resistance is a Caucasian party member, Iosif Vissarionovich. Friends call him (dramatic pause here)… Stalin (OOC: sorry, couldn’t resist).
(-2 Russian divisions, -10 Caucasian divisions)
The British protest and condemn these invasions, but while they do start shipping supplies and war material to Scandinavia,
they and their allies cannot act against Germany and Russia as they are already engaged in the Turkish War (see below).
But while the Scandinavian War is going well for Germany, they made an important strategic mistake – left only five divisions to guard their homeland.
For the three METO countries – Burgundy, Italy and Hungary – were waiting for such a chance.
While the attempt to surprise attack the German fleet and air force before they leave their bases fails as they left their respective ports much earlier,
the ground invasion goes well, though it is greatly slowed down by the guerilla warfare in Germany.
Burgundians approach Hannover, failing to take it just yet, but do occupy the German part of the industrious Rhineland
(transferring an economy level from Germany to Burgundy).
The Italian army, while numerous, is badly trained and poorly armed as the Italian economic situation isn’t getting any better.
While the Italians DO reach Danube, their initial assault on the encircled Munich is an embarrassing failure due to the street-to-street fight led by a division based there and the civilian militia raised to defend it.
Many of the routed units have numerous deserters.
Italians retreat from the city, but are not going to abandon it just yet.
Hungarian offensive is the most successful, with it’s use of armored tactics and surprise effect.
They take Vienna (despite the heroic resistance of the Volksguard Garrison) and forcing the German government to flee to Berlin.
They also take Krakow, where the Polish opposition welcomes Hungarians as liberators, though far from all of the population shares the same sentiment.
(-3 German divisions, -1 Burgundian division, -5 Italian divisions, -1 Hungarian divisions)
Not only Europe is in flames.
The last-year Turkish Uprising escalates into a full-fledged war, with Egypt, Arabia and Turkish Rebels uniting against UK.
But the British called for their allies in the Triple Alliance – Occitania and Iberia – to assist them in putting down the uprising.
Arabian forces occupy British Cyprus without resistance, while the British occupy Soccotra.
Iberian and Occitanian forces are amassing on the border with Egypt, as do the British to the south.
But the most important and fierce battle takes place in Turkey,
where the British lose grip on the colony entirely, after a bloody last stand at Uskudar, the colonial capital. (see below)
(-4 British divisions, -2 Occitanian divisions, -2 Iberian divisions, -4 Turkish divisions, -1 Arabian division, -2 British air wings)
Arab caliph calls out for the Muslims to join the army.
With the British atrocities in Uskudar, this has much support (+10 divisions for Turkish Rebels, Egypt and Arabia).
In the meantime, Egypt and Arabia complete their joint project of the Baghdad-Cairo railroad (+1 Economy for both countries).
With the ever-growing economy, Chernorossia – now renamed Madagascar – begins the construction of the new state-of-the-art fleet.
Indian military naval growth continues.
Rumors are that the Indians too are experimenting with the possibility of a carrier design.
As if the Christmas Coup in Italy and the Turkish Uprising didn’t yet prove that the Decade of Revolts isn’t really over, the Chinese peasantry and citizens, enraged by the harsh Japanese rule,
has rallied under a new leader and rebelled in the south, taking control over the large cities, their HQ being Shanghai.
The north, where there is a larger Japanese military and civilian population, is still loyal to the Japanese.
For now, at least. No major battles have taken place yet.
Random Events:
Many of the German party members, outraged by the alliance with the capitalist Russia,
the betrayal of the communist Caucasus and the failure to defend their country,
have formed a significant opposition, as the trust in the German government begins to decrease (-1 Culture).
A sudden and accidental breakthrough in the Japanese naval aviation project takes place, speeding it up by two years (+2 Project Completion).
Spotlight:
Turkish War on the Turkish Front
“Our death is your defeat”
- Yebeden Kayseri, the leader of the Free Turkey movement in Uskudar, when facing British soldiers. 1904.
The 1903 Uprising was sudden and unexpected for the British. Northeastern quarter of Turkey was under the control of the Turkish Liberation Front (TLF), led by Kemal Mustafa.
Southern half was controlled by various local factions, which soon joined TLF anyway. Only the north-west, around the colonial capital of Uskudar remained under British control.
The local commander, Allenby, declared martial law, and fortified Uskudar with machine gun nests and barbed wire, as well as the Flak AA turrets.
In 1904, war begun. Arabian and TLF forces advanced to take over the south. Many volunteers joined them.
The main mistake of the British came in March 1904, when rioters led by Yebeden Kayseri marched through Uskudar to the British HQ.
Kayseri delivered a provocative speech, and the British soldiers, despite Allenby’s commands, opened machine gun fire, slaughtering most of the rioters. Partisans took control over the countryside.
Words of atrocities led to outrage in both UK and Arabia, but it was too late. Allenby and the Iberian-Occitanian expeditionary forces garrisoned the city.
Arabian commander, emboldened by the flood of volunteers to the Turkish army and the arrival of the two elite Egyptian divisions,
decided to start the attack. First came the air raid.
Arabian and British fighters dueled in the sky, and British seemed to be gaining the upper hand with their Flaks.
Then came the turning point – Turkish aircraft (apparently bought from somewhere. By the way, these airplanes were even more advanced then the British ones, leading to the British suspecting that these were bought from a country like India, Japan or Madagascar, where the most advanced airplane designs were being used) arrived, in ten air wings.
That was a surprising blow to the British, who failed to achieve air supremacy.
Then came the armored charge, in which the Arabs and the Turks had very large casualties.
Eventually, however, the Arabs broke into Uskudar, where the bloody slaughter of the British and allied garrison begun.
Allenby led a fighting retreat to the ships, but most of the allied forces failed to escape, ending this bloody battle with an Arabian victory.
NPC Diplomacy:
From: UK, Occitania, Iberia, DTC and Oceania
To: Germany and Russia
We highly condemn your actions and declare an embargo on your goods. However we wish not to embroil ourselves in warfare.
Should your troops come within a certain distance of Kalmar, Stockholm or Oslo, however, we will have no other choice but to ally ourselves with Scandinavia.
From: UK
To: Scandinavia
We cannot give you military help due to the situation in Turkey. So far we will ofcourse provide you with economic help.
As soon as the Turkish rebellion is put down, we will send forces to assist you. In the mean time, we wish you luck.
From: UK
To: Madagascar
We wish to acquire an air base in your territory if we still may.
From: Scandinavia
To: Finland
While our alliance is gone, surely you understand that you are next in Russia’s and Germany’s plans of world domination!
Please, assist us in our struggle!
From: Scandinavia
To: Burgundy
We welcome your and allied crusade against the German communards.
May we join the METO?
*secret*
From: Scandinavia
To: Japan
We will sell you our islands for five air wings or five task forces, that are to be hopefully returned after the war is over. The islands will remain yours. Okay?
OOC:
Jason, the islands are yours.
Erik Mesoy, noone has carriers yet.
How are you supposed to put planes on ships without these?
Heine, Chinese Rebels are alex994’s.
Just so you won’t think they’re NPC.
!
