The Revenge of the Bear! A BeAARhug just for you!

[SovereignCurtis]

subscribed.

take S. Korea, teach Japan a lesson

[Misconstruction]

Best part of this AAR:

Government type:

[Mishgan]

Well, an important milestone has been reached with 50'000 views! So, thank you to all those who read and follow the fantastic adventures of the Bear Gang. It seems that there are quite a few of you around, including newcomers who are most heartily welcomed aboard!

Now, an update shall be forthcoming. I got a little bit distracted with EU3 these past couple days, namely trying out the MEIOU mod and trying to form Russia... with Galych-Volyn.

Anyway, judging from the opinions expressed, there seems to be more people in favour of a war with Japan at a later time, when a Pacific theatre shall be far more interesting than in 1909/1910. Let's hope Russia has not committed a grave error by not taking out the Japanese menace before it could materialise itself

[Mishgan]

The Revenge of the Bear

Chapter 33: The Tsushima Incident

“Made the acquantaince of Princess Helen, a charming young lady and I have to admit in my opinion the finest representative of Russia’s brotherly royal dynasties in Serbia and in Montenegro, and especially of those of their scions nested in our fine capital. Some are joking that the only royals left in the two Serbian states are their King and Prince respectively.”

“Today the Montenegrin ambassador has also confirmed that Prince Nikola is to take the title of King come this summer. Their parliament is most enthusiastic about this.”

“But it was not without its rain clouds in Petersburg today as grave news come from the Far East: Japanese ships have fired upon Russian military vessels cruising through the Korean Strait.”

- Petersburg, 20th of February 1910

Despite all of its cultural diversity and geographic vastness, the Far East was vied for by only three powers: Russia, China and Japan. Over the decades, Russia asserted herself as the dominant power in the Far East. China was far too disorganized and chaotic to challenge Russian dominance. This left Japan, and this was a foe one should never underestimate, for the progress made by Japan in just mere decades was astounding: from a feudal power whose warriors ran with swords and bows, it turned into a western style military power.

Competing Japanese and Russian interests in the region led to already one war, in which Japan lost Hokkaido. Sicne then, relations remained tense as Japan was eyeing the Russian neighbour with distruss and alarm. After the defeat in the first Russo-Japanese war the Empire of the Rising Sun began its descent into paranoid militarism and began rebuilding the fleet and armies decimated in the course of the previous war.

The smallest incident could provoke a military stand off and, in the worst case, a full blown war between the two sides. Such an incident happened off the island of Tsushima on a dark night in February of the year 1910.

The western channel of the Korean Strait and the Saishu Strait were extensively used by Russian military ships

The Korean Strait was used extensively not only by civilian shipping and merchant shipping cruising to and from Vladivostok, but also by the military ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet cruising between their bases at Vladivostok and Port-Artur. The Empire of Japan was bound by its peace treaty with the Russian Empire of the year 1905 to not seek to hinder or restrict in any way or shape the passage of Russian shipping, merchant and military, through the straits to the south of Korea.

Mstislav, a Russian Borodino-class pre-dreadnought, was heading through the western channel of the Korean Strait, on her trip from Port-Arthur to Vladivostok, when fire broke out aboard. Whilst the crew eventually managed to tame the flames, the fire had already spread to the engine room and damaged some of the engines. The commander, Captain of First Rank Anatoly Borshilov facing night time and stormy weather, had no choice but to telegraph fleet command of his troubles and direct his ship to drop anchor off the north-western tip of Tsushima to assess the damages. The damages proved to be extensive and the ship cannot go further without risking the loss of what remains of its machinery.

At dawn, a protected cruiser flying the Japanese flag and identifying herself as Naniwa arrived on the scene and inquired as to what were the Russians doing in sovereign Japanese waters. Learning that the Russians were carrying out repairs, the Japanese positioned themselves at a distance and south-west of Mstislav and remained passive, observing the Russian battleship from afar. Borshilov telegraphs fleet command with this development and is informed that the battleship Askold is heading its way to assist in repairs.

By about ten in the morning, a second Japanese protected cruiser arrived on the scene, this time a ship called Idzumi. The two cruisers continued to remain passive, exchanging brief messages between the two and observing the Russian battleship.

At about eleven in the morning, the Japanese pre-dreadnought Asahi spotted the Russian battleship Askold and two Russian destroyers heading in the direction of Tsushima from the Saishu strait. The Japanese ship takes the decision to trail the Russian battleship and is soon joined by a squadron of torpedo boats.

At about the same moment, the Japanese cruiser Takachiho patrolling to the east of Japanese Korea, spots two more Russian battleships, the Sinop and Tchesma, accompanied by a flotilla of destroyers, heading towards the Korean Strait.

What happened next would remain a source of confusion and both the Russians and the Japanese would claim that the other side fired first. At any rate, at midday, the Russian battleships heading for Tsushima received an urgent telegraph from the Mstislav reporting that she was under fire from Japanese ships and has suffered extensive damages to the hull and turrets.

Russian squadrons on patrol in the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea immediately set course for Tsushima.

By this moment, the Askold was less than nine miles from the site of the battle and could see smoke billowing over the horizon. However, as the Russian battleship and its two destroyer escorts headed to Mstislav’s aid, they were ordered to stop by the Asahi. The commander of the Askold refused and the Russians were engaged by the Japanese trailing them, tying them down and preventing them from reaching the Mstislav.

The Mtislav was sunk by the Japanese at 13h46 local time

Over at Tsushima, the situation became dangerous for the immobilized Mstislav. Sustained Japanese shelling sparked fires aboard and destroyed much of the armament. Being immobilized, the battleship saw half of her armament unavailable against the Japanese. Despite this, Russian main calibers managed to inflict damage on the two Japanese cruisers, sending smoke billowing out of their own decks and critically damaging the Naniwa. The Mstislav was eventually sunk at 13h46 local time, with the crew abandoning ship at the last minute. Most of the crew made it out alive, yet casualties were important.

By two o’clock in the afternoon, the Askold finally managed to force the Asahi to flee, having sunk two Japanese torpedo boats. One Russian destroyer was sunk and its crew evacuated on the Askold and the survivign destroyer. The group finally resumed the course for Tsushima, arriving at half past two on the scene, far too late to be of any help to the Mstislav, but in time to carry out revenge upon the two damaged Japanese cruisers. The Naniwa suffered engine damage in the fight with the Mstislav and was sunk, but the Idzumo managed to escape as the Russian ships began providing rescue and assistance to their compatriots from the Mstislav.

No further engagements would happen in the day and by evening, the Askold would be joined by the Sinop and Tchesma and their escorts. All in all, three hundred Russian sailors died at sea that day, one battleship and one destroyer were sunk, another battleship suffered damages. As night turned into morning, the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan became a hive of Russian battleship activity, with the Imperial Japanese Navy withdrawing to port. The Admiralty was furious and was itching to carry out punitive bombardments of Japanese ports. During the day, Russian battleships positioned themselves near the Japanese ports of Pusan, Pohang and Incheon in Korea. By midday, the highest order from Petersburg ordered all Russian battleships to leave Japanese waters and await for further instructions.

There were indeed also far cooler heads in the Russian leadership than overenthusiastic naval commanders and their land counterparts. A Japanese delegation was dispatched to meet with the representatives of the Russian government in all emergency in an attempt to avert full scale war. The Japanese claimed that the incident was the result of regretful coincidences, beginning when the Japanese naval commanders mistook smoke and sounds of explosions from the Mstislav for cannon shots, thus insisting that the fires were still raging aboard the Mstislav before the Japanese opened fire, a claim denied by Borshilov and his officers. Combined with the rapid movement of more Russian battleships into the area, the already nervous Japanese naval commanders simply panicked. The two cruisers then opened fire too hastily, afraid of the destructive capacity of the battleship’s main caliber and aiming to silence it immediately before it sunk them. Japan, not interested in a war against Russia it was bound to lose, promised to punish the responsible naval commanders diligently and accepted responsibility for the loss of life. The Russians pushed the Japanese guilt further and demanded reparations for the ships lost in the incident. Whilst Japan also lost ships in the incident, it agreed to pay the Russian demands.

Internally, the overzealous Admiralty received a slap on the fingers as the Council of Ministers demanded to know why Russian battleships were allowed to cruise alone and unescorted through potentially hostile waters. The Government itself was spurred into action by an enraged Duma. Put under collective pressure, Stepan Voevodsky resigned as Naval Minister. In his stead, Stolypin appointed Ivan Grigorovich, previously deputy-minister. Upon its arrival to Vladivostok, the crews of the Askold and of the Mstislav were greeted as heroes.

War with Japan was averted. Russia scored points on the world diplomatic arena with what was a civilised and diplomatic solution that avoided further conflict and loss of life. Having initiated the Hague diplomatic process, Russia could now be seen as living up to her own commitments. But it was also clear from the incident that relations were not simply tense, but also paranoid. The two powers continued to view each other as rivals and were bound to wage war again in the future.

[RGB]

That's not just an incident!

Wars have been declared over less. But the Russians at least got some immediate revenge and the Japanese, hopefully, learned their lesson.

[panzerinabox]

I voted for war, but the way you handled the incident was very well done in my opinion.

I thought that just occurred is that are you going to play off every 'war' as an 'incident' until its time for the great war?

[robou]

That was an impressive account of such an incident. Well thought out and well delivered. Yo have no need for such a war and neither do the Japanese.

[Mishgan]

RGB: I know that wars have been declared for less. But I somehow all of a sudden got inspired to drag out the Japanese DoW into an update of its own. Besides, the whole diplomatic solution scores Russia diplomatic points, what with the Hague conference and all. I forgot to make a reference to it in the post, so edited that in.

panzerinabox: Well, if Germany declares war all of a sudden, then schade, Krieg ist Krieg. I do hope the German AI does not randomly declare war on me in the coming years, though.

robou: Oh, my, British praise for a naval engagement post! And to say that as a proud Swissman, all I know of boats is that it floats

[Viden]

No war? Oh well, I thinked in a united russian Korea.

[asd21593]

Ha! You totally pussy whipped the Japanese.

[salidas16]

Good job with the update

[demokratickid]

Well, i;ve caught up and am glad to see the bear marches proudly on!

[Tommy4ever]

Great handling of this incident, I look forward to the next update

[Mishgan]

Viden: There's always time for a unified Korea.

asd21593: o.O

salidas16: Thankies.

demokratickid: Welcome back!

Tommy4ever: Too bad the next update is gonna be a little bit boring

[Mishgan]

On a random note, I am totally not looking forward to the effect that is outlined in red:



I need to start writing an event to turn colonial aristoPOPs back into aristoPOPs after they turn into capiPOPs. Anyway, the next update does not concern this tech, but I just wished to share my feelings.

[RGB]

On a random note, I am totally not looking forward to the effect that is outlined in red:

Yay! More liquor factories!

[Irenicus]

^And glasses, too!

These new and highly patriotic capitalists will transform Mother Russia into the capital of all the alcoholic drinks of the world! Starting with Vodka! What are tanks and planes but worthless toys when compared to the majesty of ten thousand vodka distilleries!?

[salidas16]

^And glasses, too!

These new and highly patriotic capitalists will transform Mother Russia into the capital of all the alcoholic drinks of the world! Starting with Vodka! What are tanks and planes but worthless toys when compared to the majesty of ten thousand vodka distilleries!?

Yeah you don't need guns, tanks, or ammunition to win! You just need to get entire nations so drunk that all you have to do is literally walk into the country and it's yours.

[Mishgan]

The Revenge of the Bear

Chapter 34: Big Plots around a Little Country

“In the landscape of the great European Empires, the tiny Montenegro looks somewhat out of place. In fact, all of Montenegro with its half a million people is literally squeezed in between Serbia with its seven million denizens and the Austrian littoral with behind it seventy million Austro-Hungarian subjects. Only a small strip of coast on the Adriatic prevents the mountain Kingdom from being completely enclosed between the two bigger neighbours.”

- Cetinje, 27th of August 1910

Montenegro was certainly not spoiled by Alexander the Liberator as he created the powerful Serbia to keep Austria-Hungary in check and the powerful Greece to keep the Ottomans in check. Let there be no mistake, the tiny principality did more than double its size with the addition of Metohia, Old Herzegovina, southern parts of the sanjak of Novi Pazar, a strip of the Adriatic coast by receiving the towns of Bar, Ulcinje and a strip of Albanian highlands including the city of Skadar.

The expulsion of the Ottoman Empire from Europe was meticulously planned by Alexander II. Cynical as he was, he first allowed the hated Swiss upstart in Paris to be removed from power by the feat of German arms. And then it was simply a question of logic. After all, do we not feel somewhat tired after eating to satiation? We need time to digest. And if before that we were weakened by the strain of hunting, then the initial fatigue is even greater. And so he hit Germany just as she was digesting her new Imperial laurels. He did not achieve his full aims, but the European powers were clearly out of play for several years, during which he soundly bashed the Ottomans.

The Russian embassy in Cetinje

Out of the ashes of the old Turkish possessions in the Balkans were to rise two or three strong allies that would safeguard Russia’s south-western flank against the Austrians and also contribute to keeping the Ottomans in check in case the latter harboured any irredentist ideas. In the west, a powerful Serbia was to keep Austria-Hungary in line and serve directly as a buffer state, and so the country’s territory was expanded through the addition of Bosnia, the larger part of Herzegovina and northern Albania. Greece was not to border any Russian rival directly, but was to serve indirectly as a balance to the Turks by controlling the Ionian archipelagos and Cyprus, even if Russia did keep Crete to house her combat ships when needed. On the continent, Greece received southern Albania, Macedonia and western Thrace. The fate of Bulgaria was to be decided later, but as the country had no history of statehood for over five hundred years, incorporation into the Empire was decreed.

Montenegro did not fit particularly well into the general Russian plans for strong Balkanic nations to counter-balance the other great powers in the area. And yet, it was a fellow Orthodox and Slavic nation, one whose people for centuries avoided direct subjugation by the enemy. And so land cessions were made to the tiny, but very proud principality, which over the years would become Russia’s staunchest ally in the Balkans and whose royal scions would marry extensively into the Romanov dynasty. Many Montenegrins also served in the Russian Imperial Army, amongst which featured prominently Major General Mandušić, who became renowned as a leading specialist in mountain warfare. He, however, was not invited to the festivities of August 28th due to his family’s “disagreements” with Nikola of Montenegro.

Proclamation of the Kingdom of Montenegro

On August 28 of the year 1910, Prince Nikola of Montenegro declared his country a Kingdom and made himself a King, to the general approval of his people. The event was assisted by an impressive Russian delegation, including not only the Grand Dukes Peter and Nicholas, who were married to Nicholas daughters Milica and Anastasia, but also by Grand Duke Michael, certainly Russia’s most sought after bachelor. Michael’s previous affair, which nearly cost him his standing with his brotherly Tsar, ended a year ago in disaster when Natalya Wulffert ran away with a wealthy American industrialist, who was also patron of several American theatres.

Grand Duke Michael’s presence, however, was not initially expected as he was busily touring Bosnia and Herzegovina with a cohort of Russian generals, evaluating the capacity of Serbia to defend this territory in case of war against Austria-Hungary. The final report Michael would deliver to his brother the Tsar upon his return to Petersburg was extremely pessimistic. Even if the Russian armies managed to pin the bulk of the Austro-Hungarian forces in Galicia and Transylvania, Serbian armies would still be far too outstretched to have any hope of effectively defending the Bosnian borders.

The Grand Duke voiced his support to the strategic plans put forward by Lieutenant General Radko-Dmitriev, which foresaw the regrouping of the Serbian Army behind the Sava river in the north and Bosna river in the west, effectively abandoning the bulk of Bosnia to the enemy. Furthermore, the report highlighted the extreme vulnerability of Montenegro, which could only realistically field thirty thousand armed men. The fall of Montenegro would open Albania to enemy forces and through it Bulgaria and Greece. It was, thus, imperative to secure the Austrian Adriatic coast as soon as possible and block the narrow Austrian highway into the Balkan heartland. It was, thus, greatly advised to reinforce the Russian armies in the Balkans with additional men during the upcoming recruitment seasons by creating new divisions to be deployed in the Balkans.

This report was met with a dose of skepticism amongst the top brass of the Russian Army, veiled only because of the Grand Duke’s imperial blood. Most Russian generals deemed that Radko-Dmitriev already had more than enough men in his Military District. To them, the strategy to adopt was clear: a massive push by the South Western and South Polish Armies into Galicia, coupled with the Bessarabian Army marching into Transylvania. The latter maneuver was to be undertaken through Romanian territory, with or without Romanian assent. With the Common Army largely stationed in Galicia, with the bulk of the best trained Honved units in Transylvania, such an onslaught would logically tie down the bulk of the Austro-Hungarian armies, leaving the Serbs the task of mopping up the Croatian branch of the Honved and potentially facing off Austrian Landwehr that would arrive through Carniola. Thus, the majority of the available manpower had to be stationed along the Galician and Romanian borders for a decisive push against Austria. Such a disposition also allowed for an eventual and quick redeployment of forces to the German front.

Russian armies in the Balkans totaled close to four hundred thousand men. However, half of this force was at all times facing Turkey and grouped as the Anatolian Army and was in fact in Anatolia rather than the Balkans. The Ottoman Empire was rearming itself at an alarming rate with generous German assistance. It was clear that in case of war with both Austria and Turkey, the entire Anatolian Army would find itself committed on the Anatolian front and unavailable in Europe. Under the combined strain of the Anatolian, Caucausian, Filistinian and Aravian Russian armies and of the Greek reinforcements, the Ottomans were not expected to hold long, but this still could mean months of fighting during which Austria could overrun Montenegro, with all the aforementioned dire consequences.

As such, without even knowing it, little Montenegro was the source of big debates in the highest corridors of military power. To some it was the key to the defence of the Balkans; to others just another ally that was expected to put into practice all that Russian military and economic support to prove that this was not wasted money.

[RGB]

Worst-case scenarios have a nasty way of coming true.

Montenegro may be a lynchpin in the possible Great War; God only knows if it will survive it.