Chapter 15: Operation Manzikert
Part II: Constantinople (Not Istanbul)
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks Boers -They Might Be Giants (corrected to reflect the current reality
)
Dr. Frankenstein, the Science Adviser comes waltzing into the President's office during the first week of June, 1908 to announce that we've completed research into "Colonial Admin V."
President Kruger, in another planning session with Veld Marschall Takayama and Defense Minister Voorhees, looks up and says, "Good job, Victor, now please get your research team to look into 'Howitzers III'."
Victor says, "At, once sir... I'll have Igor start rounding them up right away," and leaves.
The President then looks at Veld Marschall Takayama and says, "Now what was it you said your spies told you again, Hikaro?"
"Well, Mr. President," Hikaro replies, "They say that Trabzon only has two Ottoman Maxim MG battalions defending it, along with a single company each of Ottoman Infantry, Turkish Cavalry and Home Guards! If we can conquer Constantinople this week, I predict that we can completely eliminate the Ottoman Empire by the end of the month!"
"Good work, Hikaro," the President replies, "Serves the bastards right for declaring war on us! Anything else?"
Defense Minister Voorhees says, "We've finished re-building the Naval Academy in Kerkyra, Mr. President.... We'll eventually get some Naval Infantry companies out of it and finally be able to either drive the Italians off of Crete and land our forces or take Iraklion directly from the sea."
"Good work, men! See to your duties!"
Defense Minister Voorhees and Veld Marschall Takayama salute and then depart to begin issuing orders, via radio, to the troops and ships outside Constantinople.
The
Pretoria Battle group begins the show, landing four salvos on target, blasting gaps into the Ottoman's fortified Maxim MG positions. The 7.5cm GebK Mountain Gun batteries soon join in, and by the time the shelling stops, every single Ottoman unit defending Constantinople has been pounded into hamburger, with mere platoons left where companies once stood.
The assault to destroy the Ottoman Maxim MG nests is led by one of our Renault Gepantser Groepeer accompanied by three elite Commando companies and two veteran Commando companies. The Renault Armored Cars take out a battalion of Ottoman Maxim MGs without taking a single loss! A veteran and an elite Commando company are mowed down by the heavy machinegun fire coming from some of the old Byzantine fortifications, but the rest manage to wipe out the last three Ottoman Maxim MGs without too many losses.
In another section of town, another assault, also led by a Renault Armored Car Gepantser Groep, two regular Commando companies and an elite Light Cavalry company wipes out the elite City Guard company as well as four companies of Ottoman Infantry.
The city, along with the Hagia Sophia, another industrial center (Industrialization resource) and a third Export market (victory point) are ours! Constantinople is added to the Byzantium Provisional State, and is made the state Capitol.
The remaining artillery bombard the Ottoman Infantry threatening our stands of Quality Timber in the forests outside Antalya, and only manage to hit the offending Ottoman Infantry with two salvos. The slightly under-strength Renault Armored Car Gepantser Groep attacks and is destroyed in heavy fighting with the Ottoman Infantry
A slightly under-strenght veteran Commando company, on the other hand, defeats both of the Ottoman Infantry companies, and all the Greek conscripts from Thessalonica in the unit defect and join the Commando company, forming it into an elite unit.
The
Pretoria Battle Group, along with General Veer's artillery and their defending Maxim MG battalion move into the hills outside Trabson for the final showdown with the Ottoman Empire.
Antalya is re-named Adalia, and it is incorporated, along with Angora, into the new Provisional State of Anatolia.
Domestic Minister Veldhuiser informs the president that Disease has struck Aswan, yet again! On a more positive note, Tanganyika's infrastructure is now developed enough to admit it as a full state. The Boer Federal Republic's political structure now looks like this:
Full States:
Transvaal
Orange Free State
Namibia
Commonwealth of the Cape of Good Hope
Zambia
Madagascar
Moezambiek
Tanganyika
Provisional States:
Kongo
Kameroon
Somalia
Egypt
Byzantium
Anatolia
Sovereign Republics:
Rep. of Swaziland
Sovereign Bantu Republic of Ndongo (Angola)
Rep. of Rwanda
Rep. of Kenya
Rep. of Nubia (Sudan & Ethiopia)
All captured Horse Artillery are unloaded at the port in Alexandria and shipped to Cairo by rail for upgrade into Field Guns. More troops and Raw Materials are loaded onto Steam Transports at Alexandria for shipment to Anatolia.
Elsewhere, Port Nolloth launches an Early DD, the
FRS The Omega, which is named after one of General Sephiroth and Defense Minister Voorhees' protoges. The
FRS The Omega sets course for the
Kilwa Battle Group.
In order to prevent further border incidents with our ships trying to enter the Mediterranean through the Pillars of Hercules, as well as give us an additional path to hit British-held Lisbon easier when we launch "Operation Desert Fox," Foreign Minister Slegmond hammers out a Right of Passage agreement with Spain.
Sign RoP with Spain… We’ll use spain as a corridor to attack British-held Lisbon!
The middle of June sees the Spanish ambassador trying to get us to betray Persia (we have a RoP with Persia) and sign a military alliance against them... We politely decline. (Remember: You can't spell "ambassador" with an "ass" in there somewhere
"
Brazil drags the Dutch into their war with Spain... Bye-Bye Netherlands! The Balkan Ambassador comes whinging about one of our Steam Transports in their coastal waters. Even though they should consider themselves EXTREMELY lucky to be alive right now, we apologize... Foreign Minister Slegmond notes that they "Fear our Renault Armored Car Gepantser Groepeer".... And well they should!
We also get word that the Dutch have pulled the
Ottomans into their war with France!
I don't think the French will have anything to worry about with THAT alliance!
Meanwhile, Portugal gets Russia to declare war on the US!
China and Japan sign a peace treaty, hopefully allowing them both to concentrate on Britain....
The garrison commander in Khartoum reports seeing a full division of British Colonial Cavalry in the hills outside the city en route to attack Asmara... President Kruger is tempted to call up Queen Victoria and tell her to beat it, but Veld Marschall Takayama reminds him that we aren't ready to launch "Operation Desert Fox" just yet.....
Military action elsewhere sees Britain taking Lhasa from China! Furthermore, the AMERICANS take Jayapura in New Guinea from the Dutch! This is the first major overseas victory for the USA... Maybe we can get them to go to war with Britain when we launch "Operation Desert Fox"....
During the Final week of June, Defense Minister Voorhees reports that our first Naval Infantry company has graduated from the Naval Academy, but they are kept in reserve, for now.
The Battle of Trabzon begins soon after, with the
Pretoria Battle Group pounding the city, destroying the Coastal Fortress and Trabzon Naval Academy in addition to sinking an Early DD and a Steam Transport in the harbor. The 7.5cm GebK Mountain Gun batteries drop eleven salvos on target, reducing all defenders to a single platoon each.
General Sephiroth's 1
st Light Horse leads the attack, taking about 55% casualties in order to wipe out two Ottoman Maxim MG battalions and an Ottoman Infantry company. A Renault Gepantser Groep wipes out a Home Guard company without a single loss, and a veteran Light Cavalry company defeats the last Turkish Cavalry company and captures the city!
We find the Sultan and his family holed up in the Trabzon Castle, and "convince" him to cede complete control of Anatolia over to the Boer Federal Republic and abdicate his throne. A veteran Ottoman City Guard company stationed in the trenches outside the city, upon hearing of the Sutlan's abdication, immediately surrenders to General Sephiroth, and are allowed to peacefully return to their homes after signing an affidavit stating that they'll never take up arms against the Boer Federal Republic. After 700 years of trying to ram Islam down Europe's throat, the Ottomans have been wiped off the map!
For the first time, one of the Major Powers has been completely defeated, making the Boer Federal Republic the only country besides the United States to completely conquer another nation.
Trabzon is re-named Trebizond and made capitol of the Provisional State of Anatolia.
Elsewhere, Foreign Minister Slegmond signs a Right of Passage Agreement with Russia so we can move our army from Trebizond through Armenia (there won't be any Armenian Genocide in THIS universe!) into Germany's Caspian territories, through Germany proper into France, through France into Spain, across Spain and hit British-held Lisbon.
He also presents Kaiser Wilhelm II with a gift of gold to ensure better relations and hopefully keep him from revoking our RoP with them. A Boer Rifle company tests this route out and is able to take the Orient Express all the way to the border with Lisbon!
In Africa, Rail links to Bangwela and Luanda are finished, linking the Sovereign Bantu Republic of Ndongo to our rail network. Half of General Veer's 7.5cm GebK Mountain Gun Batteries are loaded onto Steam Transports in Adalia for transport back to Africa in preparation for "Operation Desert Fox" Durban, Swaziland's busy seaport, launches an Early DD, the
FRS Dumanios, which heads off for the Horn of Africa.
Special Agent "Solid Snake" carries out an investigation of Lisbon, revealing that it is only defended by two British Maxim MG battalions, once British Regular Infantry company and two companies of Home Guards... That city should easily fall, once "Operation Desert Fox" goes down!
At the beginning of July, Chile pulls poor, doomed China into its war with France and the US drags Italy into their war with France... Looks like it might be Napoleon all over again....
In military action near Khartoum, the garrison commander reports that the British somehow fail to take Asmara!
British colonial forces prove to be much more competent elsewhere, and Britain takes Kunming, reducing China to only four cities!
So it is, with the upstart Boers eliminating one of the Great Colonial Powers that Operation Manzikert and this chapter comes to a close.
Heck, at the rate things are going, the British might as well dissolve their empire and form a Commonwealth/Confederation composed of Asian-Australian states!
Unless you mean in the modern age of course! In which case, the Scramble for Europe, is about to begin!
