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Second Lieutenant
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Mar 29, 2009
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www.hergesgames.com
  • Hearts of Iron III
BoliviAAR - From Third World to First Power

Jose Sorzano, the new Supreme Commander of Bolivia, entered the conference room. His head was spinning, just days before, he had been a president looked upon with great disdain, but everything had changed... For some strange reason, the nation had given him complete control over every matter of the nation, and he knew what he wanted to do. The ministers of all his nation's most important departments were gathered around, wondering just what he would order.

"As you all know, our great nation is in very terrible times... Our resources are depleting, the rest of the continent views us with disdain and bullies us around, we have no access to trade with the world because of Chile's holdings of what should be rightfully our coastline, and our military is effectively nothing. I will now provide you with a plan to bring our nation to greatness."

"First things first... As you can see from the document I have distributed to you all, our military's growth is constricted due to the lack of will of Bolivian men to enter the armed forces, and its strength is held back by lackluster technology..." Those present nodded in agreement at the less than stellar amount of men flocking to the armed forces.

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"I propose multiple changes to remedy this. First, we shall research Agricultural techniques, allowing more men to join our army - because they will have more food. Along with this, we will begin researching better armaments for our infantry. Now, get the Scientists to work!"

"Yes sir. I will begin looking into the most applicable technologies. The scientists will get to work immediately!" said the Armaments Minister, Moritz Hoschild.

"And by the way Moritz, I want you taken off of Security so you can concentrate on your duties. I am filling your position with Salvator Jaregei."

"Y-y-yes sir..." mumbled Moritz, realizing his thirst for power would now never be quenched... Hoschild phoned his scientists, and within hours, the research had begun, although some had to be put on the backburner due to the very few scientists in the nation.

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"Now then, on with the plans. I order the production of an Infantry division comprised of 3 Infantry Brigades and 1 Artillery Brigade, which is to become our standard for creation. This graph shows my motive for this. As you can see, our forces are extremely lackluster."

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Mumbles of "A'int that the truth." and "Whose fault is that?" could be faintly heard around the table. The Supreme Commander ignored this insubordination and proceeded.

"We are going to align to the Allies of the United Kingdom. In a moment I shall explain why." The surprise could be felt across the table. This was unexpected, the allies had never provided real assistance to Bolivia before, why help them?

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"Now then, I order our forces to be deployed to the border with Paraguay. As you know, they too are in a very poor state, but have many men willing to join their armed forces. We shall strike them when they least expect it, and enslave this pathetic nation to fuel our war machine... They will pay for what they did to us in the Chaco War... The United States may intervene, but I imagine we will be able to negotiate peace after the war, but I am sure this will not last through our other expansionist movements. Thus my reason for aligning our nation to the United Kingdom. We will attack very soon, but not yet!"

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All of the men gasped at the proposition of invasion, but did not dare speak out against their Commander. They knew what happened to people who did that. It didn't go well for the previous Chief of Staff...

"I will also conduct a strong speech to bring our people to supporting the war effort, and we shall then initiate a one-year draft." The men around the table did realize this was a very intellectual plan. It was much better than using spies to lower the neutrality.

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(Epic speech there? :rofl:)

"We shall meet on the 21st of February for more discussion. Until then, you all are dismissed." Jose Sorzano walked out of the room and to his waiting car. The men around the table began discussing the matters at hand. "Is he NUTS? The United States will *not*stand by idly as we invade Paraguay. The people will never go for this!" The only man to even consider the plans a vague possibility, Hans Kundt, simply stated "If we can succeed, Bolivia will be great. If you do *not* want that at all costs, your are traitors." The old man from Germany did have a point, and the others stopped their treasonous talk.

The ball was rolling for an expansionist Bolivia to finally realize the power it had always craved, but could it even get past its first, most basic obstacle, Paraguay? Find out in the updates to come!
 
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As planned, the men came together on the 21st of February, 1936. Jose stepped into the room to salutes from his subordinates, and ordered them as they were. "I wish to hear a status report. Let us begin with Mr. Hochschild..."

Hochschild took a deep breath and stood from his chair. "Sir, the research is going as planned. There really is nothing to report." "Very good. Mr. Kundt, report." Hans Kundt, the old German who had become Chief of the Army of Bolivia by some strange turn of events, stood up. "Sir, our divisions are set up on the Paraguayan border as ordered. There have been no real developments. All that stands between us and the conquest of Paraguay, as you can see on this diagram, are two Headquarters units. Oh, don't mind the note in the top-right. I needed a reminder of our recruitment status."

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"My assumption is the bulk of their army sits waiting in the capital to fend us off there. But alas, we do not know this for sure. I feel very confident we could succeed in implementing your plans as ordered."

"Very good, Very good. Thank you Herr Kundt. Now, I have the major news I brought you all together to hear. I feel it is time for total military mobilization. Although we do not have the manpower to fill our divisions, we should be able to strengthen enough to conquer our "lovely" neighbor. I have prepared a speech which will bring the people to supporting our cause, and will then order the mobilization."

The men looked at each other. They all had known what all of this had implied, but hearing this made it more real.

"Thank you all. Now go back to your posts. There is still much preparation to be done for the war. Dismissed."


...Just Hours later...
"...We as a nation have been oppressed and made a mockery of for long enough. The Paraguayans will not continue their looking down upon us, nor will any of the whole world. It is time for the people of Bolivia to band together and turn the tables!"

"Wow, he sure knows how to give a speech..." said Hochschild. "He can talk the talk, but can he fight the fight?" replied Lopez. "We will see..."

Just hours later, the order was given to mobilize...

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With the armies of Bolivia mobilizing along the border with Paraguay, it is only a matter of time before the spark become a flame. Stay tuned for the WAR in the next edition!
 
On the Eighth of March, Nineteen Thirty-Six, Sorzando called an emergency meeting with his staff. They anxiously spoke about what could possibly be occurring for a few minutes, until they all settled upon the only logical conclusion... as the Supreme Commander entered the room. All stood upon his entrance and saluted, and were ordered as they were. Hans Kudt was the last to be seated, as he had much trouble with physical activity in his old age.

"I have called this meeting for a reason I am sure you have speculated upon... Our mobilization has been in full swing since our last general meeting, and we have reached the point where all able bodied men have been called upon, as you can see in this table." He points to a table projected by a slide-projector.

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The whole room stayed silent in anticipation. Would he order a "firing" of Salvator Jauregi, the Minister of Security, or would it be what they had speculated upon?...

"As you know, we have very slow rates of men reaching the stage where they are volunteering for the army, and we have depleted all available men, as I stated earlier. Now, considering our plans, and the fact that any more mobilization requires men which we do not have, I feel it is time. He made eye contact with the Foreign Relations Minister seated on the far left side of the table. "Inform Paraguay that we are at war." Next he turned his eyes to Kundt. "Please begin preparing the army to undertake the operation which I have outlined in the Yellow Folder at your place on the table."

Kundt opened the folder, and eyed the plan. It was basic, but it also appeared that it would be effective.

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"Let the glory commence!"

The orders had arrived suddenly. Many of the men had anticipated it, but receiving these orders seemed... surreal. The division commanders relayed the operational plans their brigade commanders, and so on. The war was to begin. On the eastern side of the line, the Militia and Cavalry began a push to capture the province of Filadelfia, and routed the Paraguayan forces within days. All that stood against them was a single Army HQ. The cavalry rapidly captured the territory, with the militia close behind. An attempt was mounted to reclaim the land, but victory went to Bolivia with not a single shot fired.

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On the western side, victory did not come as rapidly, but the odds were definitely in favor of Bolivia.

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Within a few days, the province of Fortin Linares was under control of the glorious Bolivian Army. There was little time to rest, however. The orders came to proceed as planned. The Eastern forces began a push on the province Pozo Colorado. For a while, it appeared that the Bolivian forces might take longer than expected to achieve victory...

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As the battle raged on to the East, the Western forces began their attack as planned. As the fighting dragged on, it almost appeared the Bolivian forces might be stopped by a single HQ division.

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While the western battle for Fortin General Diaz slogged on in favor of the insignificant Paraguayan forces, some good news arrived to the Supreme Commander. Victory had been achieved in Pozo Colorado to the East, about one week into the battle. Rapidly, the forces filled in and occupied the province.

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Within one day, the Paraguayans had prepared their largest stand of the war. One solid infantry division was thrown at the cavalry division which had occupied Pozo Colorado, waiting for its fellow militia to arrive. Due to the losses suffered by the cavalry unit, it began to appear the Paraguayans might regain the territory. The commander of the Cavalry, Ovando Candia, looked upon the most up to date information on the battle with unease. It seemed almost assured the Paraguayans would push him back... He prayed to god the Damned Militia would arrive already...

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In spite of the danger of collapse of the Eastern forces, good news still arrived. The western forces had finally proven triumphant in Fortin General Diaz, against all odds.

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These forces immediately began the attack on the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion, according to the Supreme Commander's master plan, even though it did not look promising, to say the least...

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Suddenly and without warning, the Western front pulled back out of Pozo Colorado. First the Cavalry, with its extremely weakened state, beat a hasty retreat to Filadelfia. Soon after, the militia also fell back, leaving the Western side extremely susceptible to multi-directional attacks, and giving the Paraguayans strong momentum that needed to be stopped for victory...

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And soon after this, the western side could take no more and failed in its attempt to capture Assuncion and end the war quickly. With no organization across the divisions, the situation began to look very bleak...

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Sorzando looked on the reports with outrage. The western assault pulled itself out of the most important attack of the war, and the eastern side was in full retreat?! He pondered calling an emergency meeting and ordering the death of the commanders of the army on the spot, but decided against it, hoping this would prove to teach through experience... He smoked his cigarette and stared out the window at the Bolivian city of La Paz, wondering if all of this he had done was really worth it... Then he noticed a boy, nearly starved to death in the streets of La Paz. Just another person to die from the state of the nation he had inherited. He went to bed knowing full well that if he was doing anything to improve Bolivia, it was worth any cost.
 
For nearly two weeks, a stalemate was maintained in hopes of reorganizing the troops. Sorzando stared at the map, and then it struck him. He didn't even *need* the eastern group. He called upon Kundt, and explained his daring plan. The eastern force would launch a suicidal assault on the lost territory in hopes that units would be diverted to the fight, lightening the path for his western group. Kundt nodded at the idea. He knew it could theoretically work... IF the Paraguayans did in fact divert forces. "I will implement the operation today sir."

On the fifth of may, the eastern force threw themselves at the province of Pozo Colorado. As soon as the Paraguayans shuffled their units (Which occurred much quicker then Kundt expected), the Western force struck swiftly.

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As the fighting raged on, the Eastern side found itself exhausted and terminated the fight. Luckily, the Western side achieved a total victory after the intense slogging match, and moved into Asuncion. As the men made their way to capture the Paraguayan capital, the very division the Eastern side had drawn the attention of began trekking towards the city.

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As soon as the Western side's infantry division reached the city, the Paraguayan militia unit struck, hoping to achieve victory and support before the second Western division arrived.

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Unfortunately for them, Fortunately for us, victory was achieved very rapidly, and with little casualties.

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The government of Paraguay soon realized the futility of any more deaths, realizing it would never regain control of its nation. On the Fourteenth of May, Nineteen Thirty Six, the Government of Paraguay issued a formal surrender to the superior Bolivia. Borders were redrawn, and Bolivia nearly doubled in size.

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Now all that remained to be taken care of was minor damage control. In all the excitement, the Government of Bolivia had not even noticed the official Declaration of War by the United States, most likely due to its landlocked state. The night following the surrender, a state of peace was regained with the United States.

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Research by the government shortly after the war showed a very promising figure. Manpower had multiplied by a factor of 5.

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Sorzando was ecstatic over his victory and vast improvement of Bolivia, but his thirst was not quenched. The glory of war had left him yearning for more...​
 
Sounds good so far. Playing smaller nations is always fun, but in your case the gains will be minimal due to the non-core penalty. South America doesn't have much leadership anyway, and you'll only gain a small fraction of it.

Could you post a picture showing off your new borders?

Also, just because no one is commenting doesn't mean no one is reading. I learned that about my own AAR, after finding a few copycats in the forum who were inspired to try Nat. China or my mod (Slan's mod really, I just helped) out after reading it, but never posted any comments.
 
Thanks for the encouragement Bromgrev :) Considered calling it off thinking it was just lame considering it had over 300 views and only 1 comment at that point! I'm now going to press onwards :D I'll post the border pictures with the next update, which I'll probably get to posting up later tonight :)
 
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Already the map looked excellent, as Sorzando basked in at what he had accomplished in less than six months. The main thing missing now was access to the sea, which would allow his nation to finally flourish. Then his mind began to wander. He could only imagine what he could accomplish in a few years, or even ten...

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Less than two months after the end of the war in Paraguay, the division that he had ordered formed at the beginning of the year was ready.

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He called upon his Staff to bring everybody up to speed on what was to happen next.

"As you all know, the conquest of Paraguay has bolstered the economy of Bolivia greatly, but still we are landlocked, and are refused access to ports by our neighbors, which would allow us to flourish through international trade. They can refuse all they want, for I do not care. Nobody can refuse while staring down the barrel of a gun. Thus I order preparations for another invasion, possibly our last. Who knows? I do, and, *ahem*... Moving on! As you know, Chile conquered our only access to the sea in the War of Pacific. So, we must take this back, and more, in vengeance for this cruel action. You all will find details of my proposed plan in your meeting outline folder. It may be basic, but the nation obviously provides for very little flexibility in our movements."

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"If there are no questions, we shall come together in three months. I would order the assault now, but our new infantry division, which, by the way, will be the standard model of construction from now into the foreseeable future, needs time to organize and conduct war gaming exercises before battle. Dismissed."

On the Fourth of October, Nineteen Thirty-Six, the men came together, and did the inevitable...

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The War of the Ports had begun, much to the surprise of the Chileans. Will the Bolivians regain their sea access and more, or will their assault fail, and possibly bring about the destruction of all of Bolivia and its holdings? Find out, in the next update!
 
You should give yourself some cores in Paraguay and the northern bits of chile, perhaps. Would seem logical to me, though i don't know a thing about the population groups in south america...
 
@peterhoi3 - I've gotten pretty far with South American Nations in the past ;) (Argentina was pushing *into* America, before they started churning out division after division and halted me. So greatness may be possible here :) And yes sir, I did use noneutrality. I would be sitting there for too long if i did not use it :)

@Zlovie - It will be tricky, but I'll have some support soon :O (Foreshadowing ftw? :p)

@Sneakey Pete - I'm just going about this normally (except the noneutrality)

Thanks for all the interest everybody :) I'm still a bit ahead in the game, so the updates are going to be cranked out at this high speed until I catch up. I'll probably have one up today.
 
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Orders were hurriedly given for the units to begin marching South through Chile. Without question, the men followed the orders given exactly.

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It took over a week for the men to trek through the Atacama desert, in which no Chilean forces were found. The soldiers on the ground knew why - the desert was Hell, especially with no special training to deal with the situation. Luckily, no real losses were suffered in the Hellish march, and by the 16th, the forces came upon their first Chilean opposition, which left them with high hopes for the future.

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As soon as the troops had reorganized themselves from the first assault on Chile in Calama, they pushed on to Antofagasta, experiencing much heavier resistance, most likely because of its importance as the capital city of the Antofagasta region of Chile. The battle started off looking like a tough fight, but one that would eventually turn in favor of Bolivia.

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After nearly two weeks of intense fighting, the victorious forces of Bolivia finally secured the whole city and its outlying areas, although the casualties were moderately heavy.

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The forces continued on to Copiapo, and conquered the area with light skirmishes, but no solid resistance.

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As the soldiers marched onwards and had effectively taken the whole region, the Chileans tried to re-secure the province from its liberators, only to be slaughtered on the battlefield in comparison to the minuscule losses of the Bolivian Forces.

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Sorzando was pleased at the progress made so far. He had a good feeling that success would soon be achieved, easily, and with few losses. Unbeknownst to him, the Bolivian Steam-Roller would soon be stopped dead in its tracks...

The troops pressed onwards, but failure looked inevitable. The hope of High Command was that they could capture La Sarena and cut off the major force of Chilean troops in Huasco to the west from all supplies. Unfortunately, resistance in La Sarena was much stronger than expected.

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Soon the Chilean forces mounted a counter-attack from both La Sarena and Huasco. Their forces were definitely much stronger and more well equipped than the Bolivian troops, but the Bolivian soldiers somehow found it in them to hold off the aggressors.

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Fighting continued to slog on over La Sarena and Huasco, coupled with counter-attacks against the Bolivian Forces in Copiapo. For a months, the constant succession of one nation mounting an assault that fails followed by the other mounting a failed assault continued on and on. Finally, in March, one battle occurred that changed Sorzando's outlook completely. He travelled to Copiapo to observe another assault on La Sarena from afar. If he felt the commander of the assaults was simply incompetent, he knew just what he was going to do... Luckily for the commander, he instead saw men dying on both sides, and realized that neither side was making any gains for months on end, with these thousands dying for what seemed like nothing.

He returned to La Paz with a new plan. It was obvious he and the Chilean forces were stuck in a stalemate. He called a meeting of his staff.

All the men sat around the table expecting some new revelation as to how their forces could better fight after his trip to the frontline. Instead, they were shocked and flabbergasted.

"The fighting has gone on for months with no real gain. I feel it is time to make peace. Have no worries, eventually we will take back what is rightfully ours, but for the time being, I feel our nation will prosper much more if we call for peace, and allow for more preparations before our next assault. Thank you, that is all. Dismissed."

And so the Diplomat to America offered peace at the Embassy. The United States accepted this, and because of her leadership in the war, Chile soon followed her lead. The war was over, but not for long...

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Sorzando stared in disgust at the map. His forces he thought were unstoppable had met their match already. His dreams for expansion seemed to have crumbled... But good news came. He found reports he had ignored just weeks before that told of new research into artillery and other weapons that were the backbone of his army, along with research allowing more research, more production, and more men to enter the armed forces. This meant he simply needed to allow time for rearming his men, and his forces might be much more prepared to decisively crush the Chilean forces... He felt contentness rush over his body again, which he had not felt for months. "Oh yes, Bolivia *will* attain the power that is rightfully hers" he said, at he looked out of his window across La Paz, and noted already the improving conditions in what he hoped would one day be another center of power in the world...