NationStates Jolt Archive

in the last days of July the Russians began to march. On August 1, 1905 Russian troops crossed over the mountians into Turkish Armenia, battling border guards in the passes until sheer weight of numbers forced an opening. 3 Armies crossed the border, 2 driving south and east, and another driving due south. The rugged mountains and hills favored the defending Turks however, and progress quickly slowed as casualties climbed. Within a day, nearly 45 Russian divisions (nearly a million men) were attacking into Turkey facing a mere 12 Turkish divisions (nearly 200,000 men).

The Russians also entered into Persia, driving hard due south with an army of 12 divisions. The Persian Army, lightly equipped, badly trained and corrupt, is quickly shattered on the frontiers and soon the rugged country is more of a barrier than the Persians. Far to the east, another army, driving due south from Central Asia also enters Persia, the two armies attempting to drive on Tehran and with a linkup there.

As large as these invasions were, they were not the main thrust of the invasion. 2 Russian armies entrained in Odessa and Kiev and began moving through Hungary into Bulgaria to join up with Bulgarian and Hungarian forces there. Here would be the main assault, a straight forward drive on the great city of where Europe met Asia.

Telegram sent to Russia, Germany, all minor Central Powers nations, the United States, France, British Hannover, Japan and all minor Allied nations as well as all neutral countries.

The British Empire is pledged to support the sovereignity of the Ottoman Empire and Persia. Russian aggression towards these nations is utterly unacceptable. A state of war currently exists between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the forces of the Russian Empire.

OOC> Why these three? Well, because Hungary and Romania are far too much in the specifically German pocket for them to do anything until the war becomes general.

The Governments of Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia hereby declare war upon the Ottoman Empire, the ancient oppressor of the Slavic peoples.

Four Bulgarian divisions, five Serbian divisions and two Croatian divisions prepared an attack on Turkish territory in the Balkans. Serbia and Bulgaria were also preparing two and three extra divisions each to support a sustained Balkans thrust.

The Germans were busy continuing preparations to launch their onslaught against France and the Low Countries in the west. When the time was right, they would launch their enormous onslaught of three million men against the Dutch, Belgians and French. The German Pacific Fleet make an immediate decision to strike out for Tsingtao, concentrating their vessels in one position where they could hopefully aid the Russian Pacific Fleet in a decisive strike against Japan. The German Adriatic Fleet stood ready to assist the Italian navy in clearing the Mediterranean.

Meanwhile, the Hungarians were preparing fourteen divisions and the Romanians were preparing seven divisions to attack the Turks in the Balkans in tandem with the Serbs, Croatians and Bulgarians.

The scent of war was in the air.

The US begins economic sanctions against Russia, and lets the Turks know covertly that they can buy American war supplies.

The Russian troops move through Hungary by rail (assuming the Germans and Hungarians let them). The economic blocakade greatly angers the Russian government, and a stiff demand for a retraction and apology is quickly sent to the USA.

Fighting begins in earnest by the middle of the first week in Armenia, and already losses are surprisingly heavy. Although the Turks have few machine guns and are weak in artilley, the rugged terrain is a big advantage and the Russians continue to use Napoleonic columns of infantry which suffer huge losses to even a few machine guns. Within a few days, over 100,000 Russians have fallen dead, wounded or missing.

But there are a lot of Russians, and they gradually push their way through the Turkish lines.

The Government of British Hannover declares that a state of war exists between it and the Empire of Russia. All Russian assets in British Hannover will be frozen and the Royal Hannoveran Navy will immediately be deployed to assist those states who are in a state of belligerancy with Russia.

Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier

OOC> The Royal Hannoveran Army will require a bit of time to bulk up in order to ship out in enough size to change anything. By the end of the year, it's hoped that there will be 250,000 men in the Expeditionary Force, and hopefully up to a million troops by the end of the next year. Meanwhile, the Royal Hannoveran Navy has just recieved all but a blank cheque regarding naval expenditures as for the first time, British Hannover will ask for sizeable foreign loans and introduce a deficit budget.

Whereas the Russian invasions of the Ottoman Empire and Persia were totally and completely unjustified;

Whereas rampant imperialism is a threat to all peoples of the Earth;

A State of War is hereby declared between France and the Russian Empire. All Russian nationals within France are suggested to depart immediately, and emissaries of the Empire shall be expelled. All Russian assets within France are hereby frozen.

Passed by the Parliament, Premier, and President of France.

To the Chief Marshal and Commander of the Army of the French Republic;

Immediately began mobilization of the general armed forces, in preparation not only for war with Russia, but also possibly with the German Empire. Their massive increase in military activity can only be directed towards us. As such, place the bulk of our forces along the border with Germany, as well Belgium; we cannot rule out the possibility of a German invasion of the Low Countries.

Furthermore; you have been given the funds to procure 500 new machine-guns for our forces. Despite the opinions of some of our officers on these weapons, we have come to the conclusion they could be of great use to us.

OOC: I'll have to get started on French military numbers. Alas, I probably shouldn't use vague numbers and divisions.

OOC> Germany is allowing Russian and Hungarian access via railway.

Hungary- Declares war on Turkey, France, Japan and British Empire. Fourteen divisions of Hungarian infantry should be attacking the Turks within a week.

Romania- Declares war on Allies. Nine divisions of Romanian troops should be attacking the Turks within a week.

Germany- http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=385760&highlight=Abyss

In Bulgaria, train after train brought in more and more Russians troops. In a week 12 divisions moved into the country, organized into 2 armies, along with their logistical support. The Bulgarian and Hungarian corps were to be attached to the Russian armies, as neither of those two nations had much of a General Staff organization to coordinate the coordination of supplies.

Rumanian troops, when they arrived, were brigaded far away from the Hungarians to prevent old emnities from disrupting the war effort.

Along with the Hungarian troops were a small number of a very precious asset indeed for the Central Powers. German staff officers. Their mission was to assist the Russian command and control in any way they could. The chief of the small German staff unit was Colonel Gerd von Rundstedt, a gentlemanly Prussian aristocrat with considerable tactical and strategic aptitude. At the moment, he was becoming increasingly annoyed with his interpreter, which, he was positive was positively mangling his German into worse Hungarian.

Fortunately he could speak some Russian for those who were actually important to talk to. He looked at the officers around him, only a few of whom showed a professionalism that would be tolerable amongst Prussians. The Magyar soldiers were alright, not up to German standards, but could probably, with better training make fine soldiers indeed. Their cavalry skills were nothing sort of remarkable, but Rundstedt had a perception that cavalry wasn't going to be a decisive arm in this war at all.

It was the non-Hungarians that worried him. Except for a reasonably hale-looking German unit, many of them were clearly illiterate peasants with no attachment to the state or the army. Rundstedt sincerely hoped the war would be over soon for Hungary's good, since these poor conscripts would likely be killed before they made good soldiers. He feared the same about the Russian reservists. Germany had no such problems, even the Polish and Czech minorities could speak German and their loyalties were tolerable, if hardly ideal.

He hoped to meet the Russian general soon. And to quickly defeat the Porte, which had been a blight upon Europe for far too long. Then he could go home to his estate and hunt deer until Kaiser and country needed him again.

General Koraptin, commander of the Russian Thrace Front, reached Sofia after a long series of trips from Hungary to Moscow, Moscow to Kiev, Kiev to Odessa and finally Odessa to Sofia. The Russian Army was on the move though, and the first part of the plan was underway.

The principal thrust would be a straight drive against Thrace to reach the shores of the Dardenelles and take the primary goal of Constantinople.

But to assist that drive, and perhaps even take it, would be an attack by the Black Sea fleet, which would also land troops at the Black Sea entrance of the Dardenelles and perhaps force a Turkish surrender right then. It was risky though, and he didn't have a lot of confidence in Admiral Starck (the commander), but at the very least it would be a useful diversion.

For now it was time to coordinate with the other allies and ensure the attack was well coordinated. The Turks were already digging in at Adrianople and along the border with 20 divisions, most of the remainder of their army, and he knew from his youth fighting the Turks at Plevna in 1877 that the Turks were tough fighters.

It wouldn't be easy.

Colonel von Rundstedt, who was nominally the chief of the German staff overseers for the Balkans campaign also arrived in Sofia, hoping to meet with General Koraptin as soon as possible to recieve a briefing on the Balkans situation. Of course, he was the chief of about a hundred German staff officers, another hundred field overseers and about a hundred regular soldiers used as guards for the most part, but it was a start.

These officers consisted of artillery experts, logistical assistents and a variety of other specialized skills that their allies tended to lack in comparison with the German army, especially the dreadful Croatian rabble that they called an army. He might have preferred to oversee the enormous operation in France, but he knew that the Turks, backwards though they might be were not simple pushovers. His main wish was that he had field troops so he could play a more active role in the campaign. Staff work, however boring it could be, was, however, essential to the success of a campaign.

War is declared with all 'Allies' and Crete. Reserves are to mobilise. 36 Batalions to land in Crete at Herakleion. 32 Batalions to land in Corsica. 227 Battalions to support German attck on France. Remaining 180 Batalions prepare to support either three attacks.

OOC> Probably be easier to organize larger attack forces either as raw numbers or as divisions.

To: King Humbert of Italy
From: Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany

Your support shall not be forgotten when we win our glorious victory on the field of battle.

ooc> there are 1000 infantry in each battalion supported by a small amount of Artillery and Cavalry

Secret Telegram
From:Francesco Crispi
To:Manstien
Just give us the word and our forces shall begin the attack into France from the south.

Invasion Forces 2&3 are to set sail from Genoa and Libya immeadietly.

War is declared with all 'Allies' and Crete. Reserves are to mobilise. 36 Batalions to land in Crete at Herakleion. 32 Batalions to land in Corsica. 227 Battalions to support German attck on France. Remaining 180 Batalions prepare to support either three attacks.

in World War I terms that is 3 divisions in Crete (12 battalions infantry, 3 battalions (12 75 guns per battalion) artillery per division, plus a battery of heavier 105 or 150 mm guns)

another 2 divisions plus 2 brigades and 2 battalions for Corsica (probaby the 2 Royal Italian Marine battalions, 2 mountain brigades and 2 infantry divisions)

18 divisions, 4 brigades to invade France, and 15 divisions (3 cavalry, 12 infantry) in reserve

although I would suggest having 2 divisions garrisoning the Rhodes and the other islands under Italian control, 2 divisions in Sardinia, 4 divisions in Libya (plus 2 cavalry divisions) so that would reduce the reserve to 1 cavalry and 4 infantry divisions.

Ok thats what we will do.

Central Powers Naval forces in the Med
Italian Fleet -- 3 BB2, 12 BB3, 6 CA, 7 CP1, 4 Desron, 4 Torpron
German Fleet -- 4 BB2, 6 CA, 5 CP2, 2 Torpron, 1 subron
Russian Fleet -- 4 CA (currently in Aegean Sea)

Allied Naval Forces in the Med
RN -- 15 BB2, 6 CA, 6 CP1, 6 Desron, 1 Subron (at Malta)
4 CA, 4 CP1, 2 Desron (at Alexandria)
French -- 4 BB1, 4 BB2, 8 CA, 4 Desron, 2 Torpron, 1 Subron

basically the Russians and British are about to clash in the Aegean, but otherwise, it is a pretty close match. However, an Italian move against Corsica would face interception by the combined Allied fleet, while an Italian move against Crete would face interception by the British Fleet from Malta... pretty risky

in the Black Sea, also very close
Turkish Fleet -- 4 BB2, 1 BB3, 3 CP2, 1 Desron (plus 2 Torprons in Sea of Marmara)
Russian Black Sea fleet -- 2 BB1, 3 BB2, 1 BB3, 4 CP2, 2 Desron

slight Russian edge, but entering the Dardenelles would put the Russians at a disadvantage because of shore batteries available to support Turkish fleet

Russian, Bulgarian and Hungarian forces cross into Turkish Thrace 2 weeks after Russian forces invaded Armenia. Hungarian and Russian cavalry led the way, with long columns of infantry and hundreds of guns and wagons behind them.

Meanwhile, the Russians slow down their offensive in Armenia after suffering nearly 200,000 casualties and making little progress. But it has diverted substantial Turkish attention, including many of their better troops.

Cancel attaccks on Corsica and Crete all vailable men from those attacks are to join the main army's attack on France.

coded message sent to the Italian High Command

Because of the highly restricted terrain that you will face invading France (ooc the Alps) STAVKA (occ Russian high command) suggests that an offensive into Egypt might work to your advantage.

A cavalry and infantry advance into Egypt and the seizure of Alexandria and crushing of the British forces in Eygpt would allow you to seize the Suez Canal, drive the British out of the Eastern Mediterranean, distract the Turks (making it easier for Russian forces to knock them out of the war) and offer both Russia and Italy opportunities for further expansion

Please consider it

All of your available cavalry and some (2 or 4 more infantry divisions) might be enough while the British are still weak there and they are distracted in the Pacific and in Persia.

Move quickly though, before the British declare war on you or you enter the war... otherwise they might reinforce Egypt and the operation will be much more difficult

In the Black Sea, the Russian Navy sets sail for the entrance to the Dardenelles, Admiral Rozhestvenski in command. In addition to his battleships, cruisers and destroyers, he also had a fleet of transports and several hastily converted minesweepers under his command.

The example of Admiral Markarov and his brave death inspired the fleet to try for an all or nothing victory.

Orders for General Spuri:
Attack Egypt and take Alexandria.
Forces;6 Cavalry Divisions and 4 Infantry Divisions

Admiral Karl Scheider of the German Adriatic Fleet proposes that the German and Italian fleets, along with the Russian Mediterreanean squadron operate in tandem in order to sweep the Mediterranean if at all possible. It is imperative that the black mark of Tshushima be removed.

Admiral Karl Scheider of the German Adriatic Fleet proposes that the German and Italian fleets, along with the Russian Mediterreanean squadron operate in tandem in order to sweep the Mediterranean if at all possible. It is imperative that the black mark of Tshushima be removed.

the Russian commander, Commodore Aleksandr Kolchak, agrees with that idea, however, is curious as to specific objectives. He recommends a strike against the French in coordination with the invasion of France aimed at disrupting French reinforcement convoys from North Africa to France.

A more daring approach would be an all out assault on Malta, but that is also high risk

Admiral Karl Scheider believed that the disruption of French trade would probably be the best goal for the moment. A strike on Malta was flatly tempting, but it was dangerous. If he managed to destroy the French fleet successfully with minimal casualties, then he might consider an all-out assault on Malta. However, he feared that Tirpitz might launch an all-out attack in the North Sea.

In Thrace, the Russian and Bulgarian Army begins probing Turkish defenses at Kesen, while the Russian and Hungarian Army probes at the vital crossroads of Babaeski. The Turks are dug in strongly, but thinly as a large portion of their army is manning defenses at the entrance of the Bosphorus and still even more troops are now locked in battle with the Russians in eastern Turkey.

In Persia it takes 6 weeks, but the Russians take Tehran and Qom, giving them control of the principal heartland of Persia. Along with the occupation of Tabriz, Rasht and Hamadan in the west, and Mashhad in the east, the Russians control all of northern Persia.

Only the southern part of Persia remains unoccupied at this point, along with the Esfahan area.

The Persian Army is no more, and the only resistance is occasional tribal fighters and city militias which are far easier to overcome than the huge distances, rugged terrain and logistical difficulties both cause.

Teddy Roosevelt finally gets to be a crusader! and the US goes to war with Germany after Belgium, Holland and Denmark are invaded (citing German greed and how dangerous they are)

Meanwhile.... I would expect the French to ask for CSA help. This will take some time, and the first Johnny Reb divisions probably can't get to France before the issue is decided one way or the other (quick German victory or a bloody stalemate)

bump

even as the war expanded, fighting continued in Thrace. Here, 20 Russian, 10 Bulgarian and 6 Hungarian divisions were locked in fierce fighting with 20 Turkish divisions. The heaviest fighting was in the Ergene Valley, where a 30 mile relatively flat valley funnelled the principal Russian effort. 16 Russian and 12 Turkish divisions fought fiercely, and although the Russians advanced, the gains were measured in hundreds of feet each day. After a week of fighting, nearly 150,000 Russian and 80,000 Turks were dead, wounded or missing, and the Russian attack finally ended as the troops were fought out.

Machine guns, quick firing cannon, barbed wire and entrenchments made frontal assaults with massed infantry a study in waste, and both sides learned the lesson in blood.

On the flanks, the more rugged terrain halted the Hungarians and Bulgarians as well, with casualties equally as high (on a proportionate basis). But the Turks were bleeding as well, and had fewer reserves.

In Sofia, General Korapatkin asked for 20 more divisions, and promises were made to get them to him by October.

the vast Russian Army was still mobilizing. 20 divisions were in Thrace, another 20 were in Persia, and another 20 were in Armenia. On top of that, 10 were in Manchuria and 10 more were slated to go there. Now another 20 were promised to Thrace, leaving only 14 divisions available as a reserve, plus the 186 divisions that were forming (that wouldn't be ready for a year at least).

Against this massive force, the Turks had 20 divisions in Thrace, 15 in Armenia, and only 5 other divisions elsewhere, plus fortress troops holding the Bosphorus. Now fully mobilized, they were facing a severe problem with casualties and Russian numbers.

Colonel Rundstedt, the main German staff observer in Thrace, noticed the horrific nature of modern combat with aristocratic, but oddly humanistic distaste. War was an ugly business in any age, but there was nothing like this 'trench warfare' to dehumanize the common soldier. He had a vague sense that war should be mobile, there should be flux, change.

Certainly, the numerical advantage of Russia was considerable and he expected it to grow even more as the army mobilized. He had recieved orders from the German government, promising that if and when extra German troops were mobilized, some may be sent to assist Russia if needed in the Balkans and elsewhere. Of course, if the Germans won quickly in France, it would probably be unnecessary.

He had heard that the German feet was going out to battle. If both the army and navy secured a quick victory, it would probably mean nothing less than the total collapse of the Allied war effort. Britain would be starved out without naval supremacy and France would be knocked out of the war. A decisive blow would end the war before the North American nations could mobilize their troops.

Of course, that was assuming double victory. It was something for him to think about as he went to Korapatkin for debriefing and to give Berlin's message to him.

bump.... battle results sunday evening or possibly sunday afternoon (california time)

General Kommorosky, commander of the Russian 1st Army, walked through the ruins of the city of Adrianople. Once again the historic city had been a battleground, for about the 100th time in its history. Hopefully victory here would be more meaningful to the Russians then it had been to the Goths 1,000 years ago, who in spite of killing a Roman Emperor, had failed to take Constantinople.

He intended to see to that personally. Victory would be Russia's.

Nearly 200,000 Russians had paid the price in blood.


ooc
along with about 100,000 Turks, 50,000 Bulgarians and 40,000 Hungarians.

IC
The Russians had penetrated the Turkish border defenses after nearly a month of hard fighting but are too exhausted to continue until reinforcements arrive over the next month. Meaning no further offensives until November either.

Battles of the Gulf of Taranto and Cape Correnti

Phase 1 September 19
The French complete the loading of 4 Colonial divisions in Algeria and prepare to move them to France, where the Allies are in desperate need of reserves in the face of the powerful German offensive.

The Combined Fleet (Italian, German and Russian) is in Taranto, and has completed its assembly. Commanding is Admiral Luigi Di Savoia, Duke of Abruzzi.

Battle Fleet (Admiral Di Savoia, with Admiral Anton Hauss (Germany) as second in command) with 5 Italian BB2, 12 Italian BB3, 4 German BB2, 4 Italian CP1, 4 Italian Desron, 2 German CP2, 2 German Torpron (German ships get +1 to attack rolls)

Strike Fleet ((Admiral Souchon, German commanding) with 4 Russian CA, 6 German CA, 6 Italian CA, and 8 German CP1

Covering force with 1 Italian CP1, 2 Italian Torpron plus 1 German Subron available

Allied Fleet
Admiral Cradock (+1 to British attack rolls) 15 British BB2, 5 French BB1, 4 French BB2, 5 British CP1, 5 British Desron, 2 French Desron

blockade line
1 British CP1, 1 British Desron, 1 British Subron

at sea in the West Med are 4 large French convoys, heavily escorted with cruisers, destroyers, torpedo boats and the oldest 4 French Battleships

Phase 2 Early morning hours of September 19 (Battle of the Gulf of Taranto)
The Italians sent out their covering force to fight with the British blockade force. The Italian torpedo boats torpedo a British Protected cruiser while the British blast an Italian protected cruiser. Both ships are sunk. The torpedo boats and destroyers engage in a nasty fight, resulting in 10 Italian torpedo boats sinking, and 10 torpedo boats and 5 British destroyers limp away from the fight out of action. The way is clear.

Phase 3
The Combined fleet goes to sea, moving at a cruising speed of 10 knots into the Ionian Sea. Meanwhile, word reaches Malta, and the British and French Mediterranean Fleet makes steam and sets out to meet the enemy at a speed of 10 knots as well.

Phase 4
45 hours later in the early morning darkness after midnight, the British launch a torpedo attack with their destroyers and protected cruisers, much to the surprise of the Combined fleet who didn’t expect such a move. A force of 5 British cruisers and 25 Destroyers attacks, and the Italians are forced to commit their own cruisers and destroyers (which were in the van) to the fight. The fight is a confused melee and torpedoes and gunfire light up the night sky. The heavier ships manage to avoid the action, but the light forces on both sides are savaged. The Italians lose 4 protected cruisers and 5 Destroyers sunk, another 15 destroyers damaged, while the British lose 1 protected cruiser and 5 destroyers sunk, and another 4 protected cruisers and 5 destroyers damaged.

Phase 5 Dawn September 22
The British and French battleships move to engage the Combined Fleet. Meanwhile the Combined fleet’s striking force avoids the battle and runs due south. Both Admirals decide to hold their remaining light forces in reserve and stick to a gunfire duel.

The Italians shoot very well, as do the Germans and score hits on 9 British and 3 French battleships. The British and French gunnery is just as good, and hits are scored on 10 Italian and 3 German battleships, and 3 of the older Italian BB3s hit, the Dulio, Italia and Lepanto, drop out of line and sink.

The Combined Fleet veers of to the east, and the Allies follow, while damaged ships on both sides begin making their way to port. 5 Italian and 1 German battleship remain ready to fight, along with 2 German protected cruisers and 20 torpedo boats. De Savoia shifts his flag, as does Cradock, who after regrouping his fleet shifts to the east to pursue with 6 British and 5 French battleships, plus 10 French destroyers.

Meanwhile a German submarine manages to torpedo and sink the battleship Ocean as she is making her way to Malta, while a British submarine sinks the Italian Dondolo as she makes her way to Syracuse (her loss completely wipes out the entire Italian 3rd Battle squadron between the gunnery duel and torpedoing).

Phase 6 September 23
The Combined fleet shifts its course to the south again, and once again shooting breaks out. The light forces engage as well, and after hours of shelling, 5 British battleships and 10 French destroyers are damaged, as are 1 German and 3 Italian battleships.

Phase 6
Both fleets are thoroughly battered and retire to port. Meanwhile, the Combined Fleets cruisers have made their way around the battle area and are moving between Sicily and Malta into the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Results
A draw, but the Combined fleet accomplishes its mission while the Allied fleet fails to achieve its goal of destroying the Combined Fleet. The Italian have lost 4 BB3, 5 CP1, 1 Desron, and 1 Torpron, while the British have lost 1 BB2, 2 Protected cruisers, and 1 Desron. In tonnage sunk the British have a clear victory (80,000 tons Italian warships and 6,000 German and Italian dead vs 20,000 tons British warships and 1,000 dead) but the Central Powers have managed to get cruisers into the shipping lanes between France and North Africa.

In addition, 13 British BB2, plus most of the lighter ships, are damaged and have to retire to Alexandria (the closest shipyards) for repairs, essentially forcing the British out of the Central Mediterranean Sea, while the French have 3 BB1 requiring repairs and are forced to shift their fleet back to Toulon for repairs.

The Italians have 2 BB2 and 8 BB3 requiring repairs (back at Taranto) and all 4 German BB2 are in need of repairs as well.

Both Battlefleets are out of the war for 3 months.

However, a powerful fleet of 24 cruisers is lose in the West Med looking for French convoys.

a few days later, 100 miles east of Cape Caccia in the Western Med, a convoy of French ships carrying Moroccan and Algerian troops bound for Marsailles met the enemy.

(French convoy BB3 Jauresquiberry, 2 CA, 1 Desron, 20 Transports, 20,000 troops aboard plus a squadron of 4 British CA that have hurried to escort it vs
Souchon and his fleet of 4 Russian, 6 German, 6 Italian CA and 8 German CP1)

It was a beautiful day, the sky was clear, and the French and British look outs quickly spotted the smoke on the horizon as the enemy came into sight.

The British and French commanders knew that the situation was a bad as it could get. The convoy was too slow to run away, and probably too weak to successfully defend itself. There was only one choice. Take as many of the enemy with them as possible before sinking in hopes that the transports would survive.

phase 1
French BB opens fire at long range, but fails to score hits.

phase 2
The Armored cruisers move to engage the French and British heavies, while the protected cruisers move against the convoy and the French destroyers intercept them. Allied gunnery isn't good, and no Allied hits are scored, while the German protected cruisers sink all 5 French destroyers, the Russians score hits on both French cruisers, the Italians get hits on 3 of the British cruisers and the German armored cruisers get a lot of hits on the French BB3 which blows up and sinks.

phase 3
The Germans move against the convoy while the Italians and Russians keep the escorts busy. All 20 transports are sunk (with extremely heavy loss of life as 8 and 5 inch rounds blast them to pieces), 1 of the French cruisers is left crippled by the Russians, and all 4 British cruisers are sunk by the Italians which manage to damage 2 of the Italian CA and leave a third crippled.

Phase 4
the Combined fleet strike force leaves the area, sinking both French cruisers on the way out but another Italian cruiser is hit in exchange.

Results
Allies lose the entire force, 12 warships and 20 transports, plus nearly 30,000 are killed or lost (a few thousand survivors are picked up later that day by civilian ships in the area) while the Italians have 4 damaged CA that will require substantial yard time.

the damaged Italian ships retire to Naples, as does the rest of the Combined Fleet strike force in order to refuel.

It is the worst British defeat since the Anglo Dutch Wars of the 1600s.

"Its a major disaster" was the first thing out of Lieutenant (jg) Chester Nimitz's mouth when he reported to the US Ambassador in France. "For now the Western Med is closed and so is the Central Med. The French won't be getting any more reinforcements from North Africa for a while, and merchant shipping will have to be rerouted to around the Cape of Good Hope for now too. That will add months of steaming time. The only good news is that 3 of the French convoys got through and the Germans and Italians caught the last one instead of the first one.

Which probably doesn't help the mothers or sweethearts of the dead much."

Colonel Tasker Bliss, US Military Attache to France, and Ambassador Taft nodded in agreement. Bliss was impressed by the report as well, especially as it should have come from the Naval Attache instead of his deputy. He remembered Nimitz's file. The young man had seen service in Panama as part of the Texas Navy and after reunion, had joined the US Navy and completed his last year of academy training at Annapolis where he had graduated near the head of his class. Definitely a comer he decided.

"What are the British and French going to do about it?" Bliss asked.

"I don't know sir, probably not much at the moment. The Germans have cruisers out in force in the Atlantic too, and that is more critical at the moment for the British. I guess the French will have to shift their Atlantic fleet to the Med to make up the difference for now."

OOC> I'm guessing that the Germans can't produce ships quite as quickly as the British or Americans due to fewer true shipyards. (Kiel and Split) I was wondering if it was possible to ameliorate that problem by moving some of the construction tasks of a vessel to land-based factories in other regions of Germany, then moving components on rail to be assembled at the shipyards. Or is this what they did?

The German Naval Command, headed by Tirpitz was overall pleased with the naval actions that had occurred so far. While the action in the North Sea was disappointing, and Tsushima was a disaster, they had held their own against the British Grand Fleet and scored important victories in the Mediterranean.

However, the loss of battleships troubled him deeply. He wanted more of the new dreadnoughts, why were the Americans and British able to outproduce the Germans? The Germans made more steel than the British, more guns, more of almost everything else. But it wasn't translating into ships!

Damn our position!, he thought. He wanted to be the ruler of the seas.

When Admiral Craddock heard the news, he was deeply saddened. Overall, the British and French efforts in the Mediterranean had been unsuccessful. The main battle was a draw, but the cruiser strike force had wiped out a convoy. It was clear that the war in the Mediterranean, like that overall, was not going to be easily won.

There were also cruisers loose in the Atlantic, sinking merchant ships. He hoped that they were caught and destroyed quickly.

OOC> I'm guessing that the Germans can't produce ships quite as quickly as the British or Americans due to fewer true shipyards. (Kiel and Split) I was wondering if it was possible to ameliorate that problem by moving some of the construction tasks of a vessel to land-based factories in other regions of Germany, then moving components on rail to be assembled at the shipyards. Or is this what they did?

The German Naval Command, headed by Tirpitz was overall pleased with the naval actions that had occurred so far. While the action in the North Sea was disappointing, and Tsushima was a disaster, they had held their own against the British Grand Fleet and scored important victories in the Mediterranean.

However, the loss of battleships troubled him deeply. He wanted more of the new dreadnoughts, why were the Americans and British able to outproduce the Germans? The Germans made more steel than the British, more guns, more of almost everything else. But it wasn't translating into ships!

Damn our position!, he thought. He wanted to be the ruler of the seas.

ooc the short answer is no they can't.... at least not for anything bigger than a light cruiser....you need massive overhead cranes to move the turrets around for one thing. Now destroyers and submarines, plus most of the components of a light cruiser, not to mention small craft can be built that way though. Historically construction really slowed in World War I for the Germans because of competing needs for the Army... now in this one Germany doesn't need 300 divisions (no Eastern Front), so if the army stays at about 200 divisions, then you could build a couple of shipyards within a year to increase your build capacity (allowing you to build probably 8 dreadnought / battle cruiser sized ships a year instead of 4) plus another shipyard in Split (adding an extra dreadnought a year for the Med).... but we are talking 2 years down the road.

Of course the war will almost certainly last at least that long

still can't build the Americans and Brits combined though, but maybe outbuild the Brits alone.

OOC> Since submarines are really only of very limited utility, I think that plan will focus mostly on the majority of parts for light cruisers (better raiders given technology) and destroyers, saving room at the shipyards for the big guns. And yeah, the shipyards are to be engineered.

My guess is that this move, which is probably pretty clever on Tirpitz's part, would help Germany produce maybe an extra Desron and a few light cruisers a year on top of whatever they can upgrade their production to.

IC:
In a ingenious move, construction of destroyers and light cruisers will be focused in large part in inland factories. It is announced that all civilian production of motor vehicles will be immediately ceased and the plants turned to produce motor vehicles for the military. In addition, the Germans are lodging orders for helium from Persia by means of the Russian occupation. The intention is to get a working zeppelin fleet in the air as soon as possible.

In Thrace more Russian reinforcements arrived. Actually though, they weren't so much reinforcements as replacements for the gutted 20 Russian divisions of the initial attack. In a month of fighting, all 20 had suffered nearly 70% losses, mostly infantry, and were in no shape to continue the offensive.

But new troops were arriving every day, and Koraptkin expected to begin the attack again in mid October.

bump

In the Black Sea, the Russian Fleet steamed toward the mouth of the Dardenelles. An attempt to force them was going to be made, in hopes that it would bring about a quick collapse of Turkey.

On Oct 18 the battle began, as the Turkish fleet and shore batteries engaged the Russians at the mouth of the straits. The Turks fight hard, but are forced to retreat from the Black Sea after losing 3 protected cruisers and 10 torpedo boats sunk, and suffering damaged to all 5 of their battleships. However, they manage to damage 2 Russian battleships and 10 Russian destroyers, and shore guns inflict further damage on another battleship.

An attempt to run the straits is defeated when mines sink the 5 Russian destroyers and shore guns prevent the minesweepers from taking care of the problem.

With all 6 battleships damaged, and unable to successfully sweep the minefields, the attempt fails and the Russians return to port.

The Turks were going to have to be defeated the hard way after all.

Meanwhile, logistics defeat the assault from the land side. Heavy rains and early snows in the Carpathians and continued Rumanian neutrality slow the build up of needed supplies to continue the offensive in Thrace. A general shortage of rail transportation also is a problem, and although the Russians have 40 divisions in Thrace (20 full strength, 20 burnt out shells of divisions), they lack the artillery ammunition or seige artillery to move against the city of Constaninople or crash through the new Turkish defenses.

The Turks have 18 divisions manning the entrenchments from the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, and the Central Powers have 20 Russian, 4 Bulgarian and 4 Hungarian divisions at the moment, plus a number of others requiring replacements.

It wouldn't be until January that further attacks could be launched.

Lt Colonel Max Felton, US Marine Corps, and the US military attache to Turkey, kept his head down as he inspected the Turkish defenses. They were well dug in, but it was more thinly manned than he had expected.

"That shouldn't be a surprise I guess" he thought to himself, "the Turks to a lot of losses at Adrianople".

It was a long defense line, but the troops seemed in good spirits, and the 23 Turkish divisions dug in along the line looked like they were ready to continue the fight.

Good thing, as help wouldn't be coming for a while yet. The Turks didn't have enough machine guns or artillery, but their soldiers were brave and tough. They would hold a while yet.

Meanwhile, at sea, the Combined Fleet and Italian Army made a try for Malta.

ooc
2 Italian BB2, 6 Italian CA, 4 Russian CA, 6 German CA, 8 German CP1, 1 Italian Desron, 1 German subron, Italian invasion force of 3 divisions and 1 brigade (1 elite Royal Guard infantry divisions, 2 reserve infantry divisions, 1 elite marine brigade) vs

Craddock, 6 British CA, 5 British CP1, 2 British Desron
plus Malta garrison (15,000 men)

IC
The British fleet is hopelessly outnumbered but Craddock is determined not to abandon Malta and feels honor bound to engage the enemy. His fleet spots the enemy, and a British submarine gets lucky and torpedoes and sinks the Italian BB2 Beredetto Brin (which goes down with most of its crew). Meanwhile, a German submarine spots his fleet, radios a message, but its torpedo attack fails.

In spite of a determined effort, the British aren't able to break through the powerful German force, and 1 armored cruiser, 2 protected cruisers and 5 destroyers are sunk, and 3 other armored cruisers and 2 protected cruisers are damaged. In return, the British do get their own licks in, damaging alll 6 German armored cruisers and 4 protected cruisers, but even though the Germans are forced to sheer off, the sight of the Russian armored cruiser squadron moving up and the poor condition of his remaining ships forces Craddock to order a retirement.

Malta would have to hold out on its own.

Oct 21, 1905
Lt Commader Yuri Nakrassov stood on the beach a few miles south of Valleta, ignoring the shells bursting a few hundred yards up the beach.

The Italians were still landing, and losses were heavy, but they had managed to get ashore. He was very happy he had been in the 10th wave. Over 70,000 Italians were either ashore, on the ships offshore or being loaded on barges and ships in Sicily. Intelligence reported that 20,000 British soldiers, marines and sailors were on Malta but the defenses were old for the most part and only a few thousand of the defenders were actually manning guns or infantry.

Resistance had been fierce none the less, the first waves of Italian marines who came aboard on small boats managed to get ashore during the night without too much trouble other than the incredible confusion of the landing, but the next waves that landed in the predawn light and after were shelled by guns from Valleta and met with machine gun fire from pockets of resistance the marines missed during the night.

Behind him the gentle waves washed ashore bodies of Italian marines and guardsmen. British resistance had been crushed on the beaches, but the cost had been high.

Oct 24
Yuri was no longer the well dressed model of a Russian naval officer anymore. His uniform was filthy, and a bandage was wrapped around his hand.

The Italians were winning though, Valleta had fallen and only a few pockets of resistance remained. The British had fought hard every step of the way but the Italians had managed to take a number of critical supply depots that provided support to the garrison, and most of the British infantry and marines were dead or captured now.

Over 10,000 Italians lay dead, wounded or missing though.

Oct 25
Yuri saluted the stiffly formal British General and signed the instrument of the British surrender as the representative from Russia.

It was over, and 15,000 British sailors and soldiers and marines went into captivity.

"General?" Suvarov asked in heavily accented English, "may I over you a drink. To your brave men who fought so well?" Yuri pulled out a tin flask and handed to the British officer, who after a moment, accepted it.

ooc
15,000 Italian casualties, 5,000 British casualties plus 15,000 POWs. All five Italian divisions plus the Marine brigade have been gutted and will need months to rebuild, the port is a wreck as is the naval base, but Malta is in Italian hands.

In Russia, the Regent and STAVKA both sent notes to the Italian Ambassador praising the Italian victory, the first of the war.

The German Kaiser and the General Staff send their own congratulations to Italy for their great victory. It was widely acknowledged that the Mediterranean had been the area of the greatest Central Powers victory. They also sent telegrams praising the bravery and determination of the Russian soldiers fighting in various fronts. A letter was also sent to the Rumanian government, requesting that they allow Central Powers troops to move through their territory. Although polite in phrasing, the reality is much more threatening.

The German military is currently building up to about 200 divisions, with 175 divisions eventually to be created on the main front with the Western Allies, leaving 25 divisions for other operations. Five divisions, oversupplied with heavy siege guns would be sent to assist the Russians in their offensive in Thrace. The remaining twenty were being prepared for an unknown operation.

STAVKA has picked up intelligence that the operation being contemplated is an invasion of Rumania in order to force the nation to give access to both its oil supplies and territory for movement.

The Italian King sent out his own congrtulations and thanks to all of the men who had so far fought.

General Spuri looked out over the assembeled troops as they got onto transport ships now that Malta was in Italian hands an attack on Egypt was now under way.

General Robert Waldie knew that the Italians aimed to take Egypt. He wondered in what force the Italians were to come. He had about 40,000 British regulars and another 40,000 Egyptian troops under his command. He would have preferred to begin offensive operations against Libya, but his superiors wanted him to remain in Egypt. In the meantime, he was building up his defences as much as possible. The Italians were going to find themselves with a challenge if they decided to attack.

In Thrace, the Russians and their allies finally reach the Aegean Sea, cutting off Turkish controlled Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo from the remainder of European Turkey.

With any luck this would bring the Greeks in now on the Russian side so they can get Salonika, which in turn would give the Combined Fleet useful bases and deny them to the Allies.

The Bulgarians had taken Kalvala and Enos, giving them access to the sea, and more importantly, Russian troops had taken Gallipoli. With the new German seige guns that had arrived, the Central Powers now dominated the Dardenelles and the British would have a difficult time moving troops or ships to Constantinople.

On December 2, General Koraptkin sent a celebratory telagram to Moscow.

Soon the campaign would be won.

The German divisions, although small in number were of importance somewhat out of proportion to their number, as they were plentifully stocked with heavy siege guns and had laid down a consistent, murderous and accurate (as far as was possible) fire upon the Turks. At least, they did so after the main commander, a political appointee and the son of the King of Wurttemburg had decided to yield to Colonel von Rundstedt's superior staffwork.

In reward for his efforts, Rundstedt recieved promotion to Brigadier General and was given one of the five divisions to command directly. However, he would soon be transferred, unless something surprising happened soon, to Romania, which would face invasion if it did not yield.

Also IC, Secret Telegram to Rumania:

'The Kingdom of Romania will be required to give access to the troops of Germany and its allies. This access will be compensated by means of subsidies to be paid immediately by Germany and its allies and possibly other compensation to be given at the end of the war. Failure to do so will result in rigorous measures to ensure to best interests of Germany and its allies. The Kingdom has one week to reply.'

in Moldavia, the Russian 12th Army was hurriedly assembling. A total of 8 infantry and 4 cavalry divisions were moving from the railroad yards and toward the border. If Rumania didn't see reason, it would be made too.

Meanwhile, Russian sailors hurriedly began manning Greek fishing craft captured along the Aegean coast, assisted by the local Greek patriots. Mines were arriving by rail from the Baltic ports, and as fast as they arrived, they were laid in the shipping channels covering the Dardenelles.

If the British came, they wouldn't find it easy.

'The Kingdom of Rumania will not submit to the undiplomatic badgering of the German or Russian governments and will remain neutral in this conflict. We shall repulse any effort to force such access. We also expect a full apology from both the Russian and German governments.'

The Rumanian government seemed oblivious to the sizeable Russian and even larger German force that was preparing to invade Rumania. In any case, they would recieve a rude awakening. Although the Rumanians were trying to mobilize their army as much as they could, they were no match for the 12 Russian and 20 German divisions (although the German divisions were slightly understrength and were more equivalent to 16 full-strength divisions) that were massing on their borders.

bump

German General Staff Memo to Russian General Staff and Field Army:

'Twenty German divisions have been earmarked for a rapid and complete conquest of the Kingdom of Rumania. The divisions will be advancing from forward positions in Hungary beginning immediately. The goal is to overrun the government, occupy the nation and allow full access for troops. Rumania's valuable oil supplies will also be of considerable use to our cause.'

British strategists were deeply worried about the loss of Constantinople to the Russians, but they couldn't see a way to avoid that loss. The most likely course of action that they could do would be to save the Levantine territories of Turkey by the (as quick as possible) shipment of an Australian division or two in order to help secure the Levant. They were still debating this course of action, however.

The main priority was the reconquest of Malta and the destruction of the Combined Fleet in the Mediterranean. British pride had been badly bruised and it was felt that an unambigious victory was required. As soon as the British could form a sufficiently large fleet along with their allies, the Combined Fleet would have to be brought to task.

Brigadier General Gerd von Rundstedt watched as the dull-grey coated Germans marched off into the night, twenty divisions, poised to crush Rumania probably in a matter of a few days. Many of them were present mostly for some 'blooding' before being transferred back to the Western Front. The Rumanians had had some time to prepare, but still only had the equivalent of eleven divisions prepared and these were woefully underequipped and badly led.

The Germans, on the other hand, were, true, a little understrength (only about 15-16 full divisions in total manpower) and not as well-equipped as Western Front units, but they had good leadership and were trained soldiers, which is more than could be said about the Rumanian rabble. As all German males were required to serve in the military for three years and remain in the first-class reserves for ten years thereafter, with regular refresher training, it was safe to say that even German conscripts had a level of training probably superior to that of the Rumanian regulars.