NationStates Jolt Archive


Europe 1914: Incognitia

Terror Incognitia
09-04-2007, 16:05
Semi-closed. See sign-up thread here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=521118&page=22) to join.

Formal Name: Incognitia (formally no name such as Republic exists. There is only one Incognitia, and a definition of which one is thus considered unnecessary).
Currency: Incos; on the gold standard
Head of State: Tyrant John McGrath
Head of Government: Tyrant John McGrath

Population: 18 million (continental Incognitia only)
Important cities: Nescia (RL Dubrovnik); also Dunkennen (Vienna); Derno (Budapest); Nesais (Bratislava); Incos (Ljubjana).
Colonial possessions: referred to as Incognitian Egypt.

Military strength:
Navy:
Dreadnoughts: 8; all pre-dreadnought battleships have been decommissioned or sold off.
Heavy Cruisers: 12
Light Cruisers: 20
Destroyers: 30
Submarines: 12
(the slightly ‘top-heavy’ nature of the fleet is explained by its role, with few colonial possessions and resource convoys to protect, it is designed to fight and win fleet battles, with few smaller squadrons off operating independently)
Active regular army forces amount almost 250,000; of this 140,000 form 7 divisions; 4 of infantry, 3 of cavalry.
The remainder of active Regulars form the headquarters detachments, siege artillery detachments, logistics, and of course large numbers of training staff, ready to bring through the eager recruits into the Territorials.
Territorials number 500,000 or thereabouts at present.
Allowing for those who will be called up into support roles, this adds another 14 combat divisions to the army.
With all reserves called up, the total level of manning reaches 4.4% for the nation, excluding the colonies which are expected to largely fend for themselves until support can be given.
Economic planners consider the military could be expanded from this point, but not extensivly without causing its own difficulties.

Summary:
Incognitia is a rich, well-industrialised nation, ruled by a fairly benevolent dictatorship of the Tyrant. The selection process is unclear, but he tends to look after industrial and mercantile interests, in a somewhat enlightened way (the people get no say in the matter, but fairly good working conditions are legally required because they lead to better work).
She does have overseas colonies, on the other side of the Mediterranean, and these are also populous, prosperous and hard-working.
As a result the navy has been expanded from one for coastal defence, to one able and willing to fight for dominance of the Eastern Mediterranean.
The army, meanwhile, is capable – it has to be, given the number of threats on Incognitia’s extensive land borders. While some of these threats have recently been tamed, with a number of mutual defence and non-aggression pacts being negotiated due to mutual interest, and in at least some cases ever closer ties of trade are making them ever less likely to be broken, important threats remain.
The General Staff are not known for their foresight. However the Tyrant is, and considers that war in these times must be won quickly, or not at all. As a result the army has been forced to train for mobility; equipped with light air-cooled machine guns and mortars for close support. The protests of the generals have been overridden. Only the ultimate test of war will tell if he was right.
Terror Incognitia
09-04-2007, 16:05
Chaos and confusion…there were some bright spots at least; the Tyrant smiled as he considered the free trade bloc now coming into existence from not far short of the Baltic, to the Adriatic, to the Black Sea.
Of course there were some regulatory hassles, but at least it was all in a good cause – making everyone richer.
More cynically, as long as at least one of the members of the bloc remained neutral, in the event of war Incognitia could keep trading. Her merchant marine would be ‘induced’ by the government to re-register with the neutral member of the bloc, under an agreement that they would receive handsome payment for returning to Incognitian registration after the fact. This would secure their external trade, free up the navy, and possibly drag their neutral friends into the conflict. A neat move.

The tyrant didn’t appreciate chess, considering it too set-piece. He preferred Go, as the possibilities were so much greater…and it didn’t place too great a reliance on one piece.

He had also been amused by the scurryings of the foreign office as they attempted to deal with the fall-out from the German incident. They had not yet, nor never would be, told the story behind it – in fact the tyrant and a few select men in the Intelligence Service were the only ones who knew remotely the entire plan. The Anj Reich had been informed quietly that something was afoot, at the highest levels, but without any specifics, and their government would have to be deeply compromised for word of that to make it out. Their other friends abroad could attest to the bafflement of the Incognitian government as news of the assassination attempt hit…

In the meantime, the Fleet was being quietly readied; non-essential repairs postponed, essential repairs brought forward and finished up – no recall from leave, not yet, but long periods of leave not being granted either.
And the Army? Well, he’d finally permitted them something they’d been asking for, literally for years – a practice mobilisation. It was to be real in every respect except actually having somewhere to send the troops. Obviously a mobilisation, whatever the stated purpose, would worry the neighbours. So it had been decided that:
Incognitia is testing the long planned mobilisation of her army in case of general emergency. A scenario has been constructed that requires parts of the Territorial Force to assist with disaster management, part to assist with civil disorder, and part to mobilise to “assist the Regulars in facing external threats”.
We announce this to reassure those watching our mobilisation that we have no ill intent. No more than half the Territorial Force will be mobilised at any stage of the exercise, of which only one third will be engaged for the purpose of the exercise in “combat duties”, thus one sixth of the Territorials. As we are sure you are aware, our Territorials consist of 21 formed divisions. We ask that no-one panic and over-react to our testing our procedures at this difficult time.
This was a highly misleading statement, and the Civil Servant responsible was getting a promotion. Few people knew that reserved occupations, not to be called up in time of war, and all classes of Service Pensioners, were considered part of the Territorial Force by the Government, but weren’t in divisions. The force being called up was more than ¾ of the deployables, the formed divisions, and the remaining ¼ were being given warning orders as part of the realism of the “exercise”.
Equally, those engaged in “preventing civil disorder” and “disaster management” would be back in their uniforms, in battalion size units, having put their affairs in order at home &c, and thus only hours away from being fully mobilised.
In other words mobilisation for war was being conducted, but it would take some fairly careful analysis to separate it from the innocent “exercise” that was announced. Thus governments would probably know. But if they announced it, it would be fairly convincingly denied. After all, the exercises were really taking place, had really been long since planned by the General Staff, and if the diplomatic heat got too high…well the mobilisation could be stepped down to the levels announced in the exercise, and the fact it was ever greater than announced flatly denied.
Refuting that would require a demonstration of sources and methods any foreign intelligence service would be wary of giving.
Win:win, he believed some of the cruder colonials called such a situation.
Donaghadee Golf Club
07-05-2007, 17:09
will you accept my other more secret proposal
Terror Incognitia
07-05-2007, 17:32
"We have a bizarre offer from Nerom. They seem to want to work together with us in invading the Italian Social Republic."
"What help could they give? And why would we want to, just as we have achieved something of an entente with them, and while Europe entier appears about to burst into flames?"
"Do I even need to brush-off the SAG report on Italy?"
"No."
"Ok, next question is, do we tell the Italians? Does this serve our purposes in France?"
"Well, Italian hostility...hmm...the idea was to bring these nations into the Italian sphere of influence, not create hostility."
"However, it might convince them of the need to become more active in France. And of course if they do stomp on Nerom, they'll create a more friendly government."
"Indeed. One other thing...would it make other governments more wary of approaching us covertly?"
"On the surface we'd be disgusted at such under-hand behaviour. Beneath it, transparently it would be because we were offered a poor deal, and had far more to gain from showing it. Anyone with something to actually offer can still feel secure."
Donaghadee Golf Club
07-05-2007, 18:37
Captain Dermir was talking to his commander Colonel Srivin

"sir Why have you called me hear."
"The reason is you are good at what we do and Incognitia have betrayed us. I am sending you to their colony of Incognitian Egypt to see if you can wip up support for a possible rebellion"
"Do I have any contacts and will I enter the country armed"
"Your list of contacts are in here and you will receive weapon at a later date. Good luck"
"Sir"
Captain Dermir starts his journey to Incognitian Egypt
Terror Incognitia
08-05-2007, 01:22
On arrival in Egypt, Captain Dermir would find that while security was lax anywhere outside government offices and bases of the Colonial Division, popular support for Incognitia was high. Why wouldn't it be? Egypt was, after all, on a par with the homeland, both in political rights and economic development.
This was the sole colony of a major power, after all; unlike Illar, with her hundreds of dominions, Egypt had received...focus.

There would be a few crack-pots and seditionists, of course, but no organised network...if Dermir wanted anything, he'd have to be the impetus himself.
Donaghadee Golf Club
08-05-2007, 08:54
Captain Dermir sets out into the desert were the more tribal ways, were the Incognitians were not as popular
Terror Incognitia
08-05-2007, 10:34
OOC: Quick couple of things.
1) If you expect me to give you anything, and I mean *anything* RPing wise, it'll take more than one line posts.
Because with one line posts from you, I'm doing all the work, it looks cack, and is still no fun at all.
2) When I refer to there being a few crack-pots and seditionists, that means right from the coast into the deepest hinterland.
Donaghadee Golf Club
08-05-2007, 13:48
ooc I am working on a new thread