SPEAK LITHUANIAN OR DIE!
A tale of resurrected Polish-Lithuanian Union and its brightest individuals in the grim world of Kaiserreich
…during the Weltkrieg, Lithuania’s occupation by Germany and the subsequent collapse of Russian Empire led to the proclamation of an independent republic on February 16, 1918 under German control, and full independence in November 1918. On the 11th of July 1918, King Mindaugas II (born as Prince Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg) was crowned as King of Lithuania. Lithuania Minor was kept under German control, and the border settled between the German Baltic state and Lithuania meant that the latter would be deprived of any sea acess. Mindaugas II was succeeded following his death in 1928 by his son, Mindaugas III. Now, in 1936 the population is worried about continuing German influence in the Baltic and a “Speak Lithuanian!” movement has sprung up in fear of the events that have happened in the Baltic vassal to Germany in the north, so the King must decide between allegiance to the Lithuanian people or the Kaiser.
And he doesn’t have much time.
Difficulty – Normal (No, I’m not a coward, but playing Lithuania is a hard quest as it is)
Aggressiveness – Furious (more fun!)
Full IC takeover – No, never.
Techteam takeover – Yes (will only use the techteams of peacefully incorporated states)
AAR Genre: Narrative with elements of history book where appropriate
Chapters:
1936
Mindaugas the Third, King of Lithuania, born Karl Gero Albrecht Joseph Wilhelm Anton Maria von Urach was sitting in a room of his royal palace in Vilnius, Lithuania.
He was bored. He was jealous of other German royals, who were commanding expeditions to Africa and Antarctic, who were organising enormous parties with rivers of alcohol flowing down the cobbled streets of Köln and Berlin, and Brussels, and….whatever.
Karl Gero ended up in the middle of nowhere, in a small Eastern European country quickly summoned to existence following the events of the Weltkrieg, the World War I. He also ended up taking a name much harder to pronounce. It was so much better when he was a kid, in Urach, at the foot of the Swabian Alb.
He looked out of the window. Vilnius greeted him with sunshine and lots of noise – it was Sunday, a market day.
“Gott”, - thought Mindaugas – “It’s unbelievable. These people, oppressed by the Russians for so long, don’t actually differ from them! Oh yes, they’re much better off being Catholics then Orthodox. The only good thing in them.”
His Majesty woke up at 3 p.m, and it was only logical his temples roared as if they housed an artillery battalion. Or maybe it was due to the Prime Minister, Juozas Tubelis knocking on the door.
- Yes, yes, do come in – growled His Majesty.
Tubelis was a funny man, in King’s eyes. In fact, not Tubelis himself, rather than the relations between him and the Minister of Home Affairs, Antanas Smetona. They were brothers-in-law, and both had claims for the position of Prime Minister, yet Tubelis, 8 years younger than his counterpart, was chosen by Mindaugas in the end. He was much more trustworthy than Smetona. During Russia’s control of the country, Tubelis was working in the Central Relief Committee and Smetona traveled across Germany and Scandinavia begging for money to help Lithuania become independent.
As if the Weltkrieg was all about Lithuania.
The Prime Minister noticed that His Majesty wasn’t paying much attention and patiently waited. Once given the sign, he unrolled the map of Lithuania.
-As you requested, Your Majesty, the complete Map of Lithuania and Bordering Countries.
Mindaugas shook his head. It’s so tiny… Tubelis went on.
-As previously ordered, we’re relocating all the free finance we have on rearmament of the army. It’s not going to be quick, though, with the Black Monday and all that…
- Wait! I ordered that?
- Yes, sire. – nodded Tubelis.
- I couldn’t have done that. Cancel the plans, relocate the money on industry. That’d make rearmament quicker once we’re more industrialized.
- But, sir…
- No “buts”, Prime Minister! – yelled Mindaugas. – It is vitally important to build industry right now, so that we’d have a competitive economy by the time the Depression is over!
- Right, sir.
- And call for Gustaitis, Chief of the Air Force.
- He’s away, sir – whimpered Tubelis.
- Where’s he, then? Are you saying you were relocating money on improvement of the Air Force with its commander not having an idea about it?
- He’s, he’s in Memel, sir.
- So, the Airforce is in Lithuania, and Gustaitis is in Germany?
Tubelis shivered. He pointed at the map.
- Your Majesty, it seems that the whole Lithuanian Air Force is currently in Memel.
His Majesty raised an eyebrow.
- Why?
- There are no free hangars at the Kaunas Military Base – explained the Prime Minister.
- Why so?
- Well…they’re all occupied by the Baltic Dutchy Airforce.
- Doesn’t the Baltic Dutchy have their own airports?
- They do, even two, actually….but they’re occupied by the German Expeditional Airforce.
Mindaugas was on the brink of crying. He hated this stupid country so much.
- I don’t care who occupied what, Prime Minister, but I want OUR Airforce at OUR bases by January. Incompetent fools!
Tubelis rushed out of the room before His Majesty had a chance to strike the Prime Minister down with a paperweight. Mindaugas reclined in his seat, took a few deep breaths, and unrolled a map he was keeping in a drawer.
It looked much better.
Meanwhile, outside Lithuania:
A tale of resurrected Polish-Lithuanian Union and its brightest individuals in the grim world of Kaiserreich
…during the Weltkrieg, Lithuania’s occupation by Germany and the subsequent collapse of Russian Empire led to the proclamation of an independent republic on February 16, 1918 under German control, and full independence in November 1918. On the 11th of July 1918, King Mindaugas II (born as Prince Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg) was crowned as King of Lithuania. Lithuania Minor was kept under German control, and the border settled between the German Baltic state and Lithuania meant that the latter would be deprived of any sea acess. Mindaugas II was succeeded following his death in 1928 by his son, Mindaugas III. Now, in 1936 the population is worried about continuing German influence in the Baltic and a “Speak Lithuanian!” movement has sprung up in fear of the events that have happened in the Baltic vassal to Germany in the north, so the King must decide between allegiance to the Lithuanian people or the Kaiser.
And he doesn’t have much time.
Difficulty – Normal (No, I’m not a coward, but playing Lithuania is a hard quest as it is)
Aggressiveness – Furious (more fun!)
Full IC takeover – No, never.
Techteam takeover – Yes (will only use the techteams of peacefully incorporated states)
AAR Genre: Narrative with elements of history book where appropriate
Chapters:
1936
Mindaugas the Third, King of Lithuania, born Karl Gero Albrecht Joseph Wilhelm Anton Maria von Urach was sitting in a room of his royal palace in Vilnius, Lithuania.
He was bored. He was jealous of other German royals, who were commanding expeditions to Africa and Antarctic, who were organising enormous parties with rivers of alcohol flowing down the cobbled streets of Köln and Berlin, and Brussels, and….whatever.
Karl Gero ended up in the middle of nowhere, in a small Eastern European country quickly summoned to existence following the events of the Weltkrieg, the World War I. He also ended up taking a name much harder to pronounce. It was so much better when he was a kid, in Urach, at the foot of the Swabian Alb.
He looked out of the window. Vilnius greeted him with sunshine and lots of noise – it was Sunday, a market day.
“Gott”, - thought Mindaugas – “It’s unbelievable. These people, oppressed by the Russians for so long, don’t actually differ from them! Oh yes, they’re much better off being Catholics then Orthodox. The only good thing in them.”
His Majesty woke up at 3 p.m, and it was only logical his temples roared as if they housed an artillery battalion. Or maybe it was due to the Prime Minister, Juozas Tubelis knocking on the door.
- Yes, yes, do come in – growled His Majesty.
Tubelis was a funny man, in King’s eyes. In fact, not Tubelis himself, rather than the relations between him and the Minister of Home Affairs, Antanas Smetona. They were brothers-in-law, and both had claims for the position of Prime Minister, yet Tubelis, 8 years younger than his counterpart, was chosen by Mindaugas in the end. He was much more trustworthy than Smetona. During Russia’s control of the country, Tubelis was working in the Central Relief Committee and Smetona traveled across Germany and Scandinavia begging for money to help Lithuania become independent.
As if the Weltkrieg was all about Lithuania.
The Prime Minister noticed that His Majesty wasn’t paying much attention and patiently waited. Once given the sign, he unrolled the map of Lithuania.
-As you requested, Your Majesty, the complete Map of Lithuania and Bordering Countries.
Mindaugas shook his head. It’s so tiny… Tubelis went on.
-As previously ordered, we’re relocating all the free finance we have on rearmament of the army. It’s not going to be quick, though, with the Black Monday and all that…
- Wait! I ordered that?
- Yes, sire. – nodded Tubelis.
- I couldn’t have done that. Cancel the plans, relocate the money on industry. That’d make rearmament quicker once we’re more industrialized.
- But, sir…
- No “buts”, Prime Minister! – yelled Mindaugas. – It is vitally important to build industry right now, so that we’d have a competitive economy by the time the Depression is over!
- Right, sir.
- And call for Gustaitis, Chief of the Air Force.
- He’s away, sir – whimpered Tubelis.
- Where’s he, then? Are you saying you were relocating money on improvement of the Air Force with its commander not having an idea about it?
- He’s, he’s in Memel, sir.
- So, the Airforce is in Lithuania, and Gustaitis is in Germany?
Tubelis shivered. He pointed at the map.
- Your Majesty, it seems that the whole Lithuanian Air Force is currently in Memel.
His Majesty raised an eyebrow.
- Why?
- There are no free hangars at the Kaunas Military Base – explained the Prime Minister.
- Why so?
- Well…they’re all occupied by the Baltic Dutchy Airforce.
- Doesn’t the Baltic Dutchy have their own airports?
- They do, even two, actually….but they’re occupied by the German Expeditional Airforce.
Mindaugas was on the brink of crying. He hated this stupid country so much.
- I don’t care who occupied what, Prime Minister, but I want OUR Airforce at OUR bases by January. Incompetent fools!
Tubelis rushed out of the room before His Majesty had a chance to strike the Prime Minister down with a paperweight. Mindaugas reclined in his seat, took a few deep breaths, and unrolled a map he was keeping in a drawer.
It looked much better.
Meanwhile, outside Lithuania:
- US Civil War II began, with Pacific States of America not participating in the carnage;
- Korea was granted independence by the Liberal government of Japan;
- Mensheviks came to power in Russia;
- Nestor Makhno came to power in France;
- South Africa and Portugal lost in the African War, with Mittelafrika securing Angola and Mozambique. The war roared through the whole year and finished with a miraculous landing of two Bavarian Cavalry Divisions in Cape Town. Bavarians ultimately occupied all the pubs in the city and forced the government to surrender.
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