I send my well-wishes to the United States as they celebrate their acquiring of independence over a hundred years to this day.
Alfonso XIII
King of Spain
Alfonso XIII
King of Spain
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We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
The Eastern Front: 1903
In the early months of 1903, the German High Command, now dealing with Russian Partisans behind their own lines, decided to enact a policy of pacification, handing out food and clothing to local citizens, which caused many of them, families and friends with the Partisans, to convince a majority of them to lay down their arms. The Germans were not bad people, they were helping them more than the Russians ever were. However, a hardened band of Russians still stayed loyal to the cause, and continued to harass German supply lines and even was able to carry out a few assassinations on a high ranking German General. Enraged, the German High Command detached a small group of German soldiers away from their postings on the front line to hunt down and track the Partisans. Several fierce battles later, and quite a few German deaths, all mention of Partisan forces were whipped clean from the Eastern Front. [-35,000 Regulars from Germany. Partisans all disbanded.]
On the Baltic Front, despite the German High Command's orders to halt, the Russians kept retreating their ground. As the Germans attempted to establish a new front, the Russians simply packed up and left. Valuable Russian supplies were left behind, and the Germans advanced far up into the North. Upon reaching Riga, Latvia, the local German General proclaimed that, by order of the Kaiser, that the states of Lithuania and Latvia were to be created under the jurisdiction of the German Military, and immediately were to declare war upon the Russian Empire. Even as these two Baltic states arose, the Germans advanced further and further North, before reaching the town of Narva, where the independent Kingdom of Estonia was proclaimed by the German military, all three states immediately signed defense pacts with the German Empire, and trade treaties. [+600 Trade Balance to Germany (+600 Europe). Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia independent puppet states of Germany. -15 Industry from Russia.]
1. High Ranking German Officers in Riga, Latvia
Even as the Germans reached Narva, the Russians, after retreating for so long, finally reared their army and mounted an assault against the Germans, who had finally dug in slightly inside Russian territory. The Russians, however, were not prepared for an assault. The German Stoßtruppen, equipped with their machine guns, held the line against the constant Russian assaults. After a fourth failed assault, the Germans sent out small, grouped bunches of Stoßtruppen that were able to infiltrate behind the enemy lines, cutting off communications and their lines of supply. While being a general menace to the Russians, the Germans advanced technology stopped the Russian assault cold, and caused them to once again begin their retreat towards the east, only this time the Germans did not follow in pursuit of them, content at trying to fortify their positions. The Russians however, retreated back to St. Petersburg. [-100,000 Conscripts from Germany. -375,000 Conscripts from Russia.]
As the Germans were tramping through the Baltic, in Byelorussia, the German General in charge of the centre ordered a full on assault against all lines, hearing of the Russians retreating from the Germans in the Baltic. The fighting was fierce, as the Russians tried to put up a defense, but as it seemed over the past few years of War, the German War Machine finally woke up, and nothing seemed to be able to stand in its way now. The Russians, at one time able to deal out casualties on par with the Germans, now watched as their lines melted away at the German onslaughts. In desperation, the Russians announced a general retreat on all fronts except the Southern Front. A solemn Tsar Nicholas II met with his generals on March 17th before announcing the start of the "Great Retreat", in a bid to try and get enough time to mobilize enough men to fight Germany. [-160,000 Conscripts from Germany. -400,000 Conscripts from Russia. -1 Stability from Russia.]
2. Tsar Nicholas II receiving a salute from one of his Generals during the Great Retreat.
The Russians mobilization numbers came in, and they were far better than expected. They beat the Germans by a large margin, but the previous few months of fighting showed the sheer destruction wrought by the German Army, which meant that even at the current rate both countries were raising soldiers, Russia would be sure to lose. [+1,950,000 Conscripts to Russia. +1,450,000 Conscripts to Germany.]
The only source of joy for the Russian Generals was the Southern Front. The German High Command had ordered a full frontal assault into Ukraine, in an effort to try and surge in against the collapsing Russian lines and form a large front. The Russians, however, spent most of their time, energy, and resources to establish a front-line. Forts, trenches, barbed wire, and machine gun encampments popped up all over the Ukraine. As May slowly arrived, the Germans began a ruthless onslaught, charging against the Russian lines, only to fall prey to waiting Russian guns. Regiment after Regiment was sent against the Russian lines, in full hopes that the Germans would be able to cause it to collapse. But over and over, they were repulsed. Massive amounts of artillery was fired by both sides, with the average of 1,000 shells being fired in one hour by both sides. As the Germans failed on one more assault, a bell chimed from the Russian lines. A massive surge of Russian soldiers, armed with captured German guns, overran and swamped the German Army, causing General Friedrich von Weiss to order a general retreat, anything to get away from the Russian hoard. A new front-line, however was quickly established. The Germans, on the other hand, had little to no method of repulsing another Russian attack. This handed the Russians their largest victory yet in the Russo-German War. [-455,000 Conscripts from Germany. -165,000 Conscripts from Russia.]
3. German soldiers await a Russian attack in Poland.
The German High Command, their reputation severely bruised by the massive Russian offensive into Poland, was handed a map of the current frontlines and territory controlled by the Reich. It was an overall positive note, with a General retreat in the North and Centre, but a dire situation in the South, which could turn into a catastrophe if it was not properly handled.
The Russians, on the other hand, felt they had good momentum in the South, and were deeply depending on mobilization and forces brought in from the East to hold the line in the North and the Centre. Now, priority was placed on protecting the capitol city of St. Petersburg from German attacks, which it was now in real danger of being shelled by German Artillery should another battle go wrong, forcing a Russian retreat.
4. Frontlines as of July 1903.
The War, with no end in sight, seems to have settled down into a small stalemate, with a slight German advantage. The Russians, however, ordered all soldiers from the Korean front to report to the German front, in a bid to try and stop the disastrous retreat of their men. Supplies continue to run lower and lower in the Russian Empire, with supplies shipped in from France already nearly gone. The Russians now had to depend on captured German supplies, which did not happen often, and their own small manufacturing base. A general plea went out from the Tsar to all nations interested in Germany's defeat to try and ship arms to Russia. While many thought this war would be a quick and easy German victory, the two sides seemed content on winning, coupled with the Germans becoming bogged down in Poland, ensures that no end to this war is in plain sight.
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After having met multiple times with local representatives, and having talked to many people of the occupied regions, particularly of the Baltic States, many German officials and officers of the German Army reported urgent desires for freedom and self-determination of these regions back to Berlin.
To satisfy these desires, and to strengthen the ties between our people, the Imperial Ministry of Foreign affairs is happy to support the independance of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with political, economic and military means. Provisional national governments were formed by Kārlis Ulmanis in Latvia, Jaan Poska in Estonia and Antanas Smetona in Lithuania, with elections for a parliament to be held once the war is over.
The German Empire has begun to trade with these three nations, while the German army has started to train and supply their newly created armed forces.
We welcome our new brothers in arms in this war for the very existence of all our people! Forward, to victory, to bring an end to the vile regime of the Tsar!
To satisfy these desires, and to strengthen the ties between our people, the Imperial Ministry of Foreign affairs is happy to support the independance of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with political, economic and military means. Provisional national governments were formed by Kārlis Ulmanis in Latvia, Jaan Poska in Estonia and Antanas Smetona in Lithuania, with elections for a parliament to be held once the war is over.
The German Empire has begun to trade with these three nations, while the German army has started to train and supply their newly created armed forces.
We welcome our new brothers in arms in this war for the very existence of all our people! Forward, to victory, to bring an end to the vile regime of the Tsar!
Hello WiR Players!
I just have to drop off the new Income Formula for all of those who keep track of things yourself.
Income = Trade Balance + (((Industry*5)*(1.5*Infrastructure)-((Regulars/100)*(Army Level*0.1))+(Colonial Infrastructure*100)-((Conscripts/200)*(Army Level*0.1))+Base Income-((Naval Level*0.03)*(Large Ships*50))-((Naval Level*0.03)*(Small Ships*20))-((Naval Level*0.03)*(Submarines*30))-((Naval Level*0.03)*(Carriers*125))-((Naval Level*0.03)*(Dreadnoughts*450))))
I just have to drop off the new Income Formula for all of those who keep track of things yourself.
Income = Trade Balance + (((Industry*5)*(1.5*Infrastructure)-((Regulars/100)*(Army Level*0.1))+(Colonial Infrastructure*100)-((Conscripts/200)*(Army Level*0.1))+Base Income-((Naval Level*0.03)*(Large Ships*50))-((Naval Level*0.03)*(Small Ships*20))-((Naval Level*0.03)*(Submarines*30))-((Naval Level*0.03)*(Carriers*125))-((Naval Level*0.03)*(Dreadnoughts*450))))
Treaty of Sendai
In the Treaty of Sendai, both the Danubian Federation and the Japanese Empire of the East agree to the following:
1. Lower the tariffs on each other's products to 21%, in order to encourage a growth in commerce between both nations.
2. Encourage the cooperation of Daunbian Federation and Japanese merchants
3. Danubian merchants, while in Japanese waters, will be under the jurisdiction of Japanese Law, and vise-versa
People of Russia, soldiers and sailors, farmers and workers, intellectuals, politicians and citizens who have temporally fallen under the yoke of the German brigands. The world is amazed at your actions showed towards the German brigand’s trechourus attack and the war they forced upon us to destroy our country. We have temporally lost a number of regions at the enemy is at the gates of St. Petesburg. The enemy though that their surprise attack upon would force us to it’s knees, but the enemy wholly miscalculated. Despite temporary reverses, our army is beating off the Germans, their attack on Ukraine proved to be the biggest defeat in their history of military accomplishments. Now our country, our whole country is organizing itself into a single fighting camp in order to rout the German invaders. Our country has before faced difficult position as this one. The enemy is not as strong and some predicted, we can hold them off and soon regain what we lost. No one dares now to deny that the Russian Army has more than once shaken the German High Command with it’s actions.
Regarding the puppet states created in the Baltic, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Is just the most clear demonstration of what Germany wants to do with Russia and the world. Right now these three “independent” nations are being suck dry of every resource available to fuel Germany war industry, their government is nothing else but paid traitors who care for nothing else but themselves, if this was not the case, then why they allow their countries to be completely devastated by Germans usurpers? Not even colonies in Africa and Asia are treated like that, with such brutality. The exploitation of those three countries are giving Germany more resources than all it’s colonies combined.
That is, why I ask you people of Russia, to arise against the Germanic invaders, arise and make their lives impossible in every way possible. For if not, we will all be destroyed.
We echo the question presented by the UK regarding the situation of neutral shipping in the warzone
The Swedish Government advises the Tsar against forming his entire populace into a single camp. Conditions are unlikely to be sanitary, even in a civilised nation, and therefore we must strongly advise against it. We are aware of the Tsar's already poor health, and most certainly do not wish that it would take a turn for a worse, along with the health of his people.
OOC: Soooooooo... anyone know how to fix those big IRC bans that you get given automatically for creating several different users at once? :rofl:
[OOC]
Helping you is a pleasure, Doom. We are all eagerly awaiting your return.
[/OOC]
OOC: Well, if you're all so eager I'll see if I can get back on sooner. Perhaps if I try and join a few times it will force it or something...
With the recent treaty signings it is our sincere hope that the Pacific and Asia will quiet down in the near future and stay calm thereafter for many years to come. Peace will hopefully hold and allow investment and development to replace it. Though we and our allies are taking some measures to increase security it boils down to a shift in responsibility a little away from the UK and more to local sources. Offers of mediation would be made regarding the other conflicts but a military solution seems the most likely for all remaining.
After the near disaster that was the previous years economic development, steps and reforms are being pushed to try and improve the situation. Coming at the problem of slower recent industrial development for the British Empire should yield better results. Empowering others to help improve the economy may be the better solution for our current situation.
After the near disaster that was the previous years economic development, steps and reforms are being pushed to try and improve the situation. Coming at the problem of slower recent industrial development for the British Empire should yield better results. Empowering others to help improve the economy may be the better solution for our current situation.
The Kingdom of Serbia applauds the successful efforts of the brave Russian army to stem the German advance. In spite of everything, - be it bad equipment, training, morale, or even defeat - the Russian army has prevailed, bravely defending their homeland from threats. The situation of Serbia is similar. Like the Russians, we are fighting off a better-equipped force, and we are making them pay for every inch of ground; though it must be said that our situations are also dissimilar, in that Serbia is pushing back a much larger force with the help of our brothers in arms.
Ottoman Empire
This year has been a disappointing year. Our desire to help our people by distributing food has been thwarted by the onset of drought within our lands. We are determined to provide aid to our citizens and hopefully this year we will have a bountiful harvest. We have encountered a further setback in our fight against corruption and inefficiency. Corrupt officials and excessive bureaucracy are a drain on the finances as well as the prosperity of our nation. We will continue this fight and make more funds available in the coming years. Another continued source of disappointment is our attempt at federalisation. For four years we have tried to federalise without success. However federalisation is required. It is required in order to let every ethnic group flourish. Most importantly, it is required to hold our nation together. We shall not give up and we will federalise. The last disappointment has came in the form of our treaty with UK. We understand why people are rightfully upset. However we had little choice, with the terrors of war being threatened against us if we refused. Citizens of the Ottoman Empire, we ask that you not take your anger out on the government, but instead direct it towards those who have forced this treaty upon us.
The few successes of this year include the establishment of the city of Yeniev and the treaty of Berlin. We are confident that the city of Yeniev will grow and prosper in the years to come. The treaty of Berlin has ensured peace with Bulgaria as well as greater relations with Germany.
Lastly, we congratulate the Germans on their victories over the Russians and announce our recognition of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as sovereign states.
The Eastern Front: Late 1903
As the July heat of a Russian Summer bore down upon St. Petersburg, Tsar Nicholas II appointed Lieutenant General Aleksei Brusilov of the Cavalry Officer School to General in the Russian Army, and appointed him to be in control of all armies in the defense of St. Petersburg. Widely skilled in cavalry tactics, many wondered why he was given control of the mostly infantry and artillery heavy Russian Army. Upon hearing of the ascension of Brusilov, the German General von Seeckt, in charge of the German Army outside St. Petersburg, had hardly little to say about him, remaking him as a "Man of horses who can't control men."
Their confidence high, the Germans announced a general withdrawal of most of the hardened German soldiers, to be sent South, and replaced almost entirely with newly mobilized forces from the Baltic states. When Brusilov heard of this news, he waited until all reports of the German soldiers said they were being moved behind lines, on Russia's antiquated road system, something that Brusilov knew very well of, that the German Army could not turn around quickly, and that he could both systematically attack and put pressure on the North, meaning the Germans would have to return. By doing this, he could render an immense amount of Germans unable to attack, while still gaining ground back. The plan was set in motion and agreed upon. On July 26th, 1903, General Brusilov and the Russian 6th Army left St. Petersburg, bound for Narva.
1. Russian Soldiers marching away from the defense of St. Petersburg.
It was only two days later on July 28th that the first shots were fired between the two armies. The Russians, now armed with captured German machine guns, did what they did best and sent their army charging forward into the enemy lines. Though their ammunition was low, the status of the Baltic soldiers was even worse. The German High Command, confident that Brusilov would not attack, ordered faulty and old firearms, some even muzzle-loaded, to the Baltic soldiers. Ammunition was mostly taken for the Germans, leaving them undersupplied and underarmed. The Russians were relentless in their attacks. Wave after wave they gained even more ground back from the poorly trained conscripts. Their lines simply melted away as the Russians came at them. News of this finally reached the German High Command, who, shocked at such an idea, immediately wired for the Germans to turn around to try and stop this advance. It was no no avail, however, as on August 18th, the Russian Army announced that the Baltic Army, along with the core of Hardened Germans, had unconditionally surrendered to the Russians, leaving Germany deeply exposed in the North, something the Russians quickly took advantage of. [-200,000 Conscripts from Russia. -150,000 Regulars from Germany. Baltic Army Captured by Russia.]
General Brusilov, not content on letting the Germans keep control of any land that was rightfully Russian, drove his army straight towards the South, where he was met with the of the German North Army. While he was outmatched, he decided to hold his ground in Lithuania and have them attack him. Once he was sure the German Centre army was disengaged from chasing the Russians, he communicated with General Nelidov of the Russian Centre Army, that, along with newly arrived soldiers from the Korean front, that the Great Retreat was to stop at all costs, and to charge towards the German armies, confident that a flanking maneuver could crush the combined German forces. As the German Northern Army smashed into Brusilov's Army, Nelidov's Army counterattacked the Germans, and with orders from high command to retreat until they lost momentum, the Germans simply broke and ran, allowing Nelidov to slowly close the gap in between his army and Brusilov's. Once the two German Armies met, one attacking and the other retreating, a general panic ensued. The retreating Germans stated that High Command told them to retreat, while the attacking Germans were told they had to counter-attack to save the Baltic states. With this indecision, the two armies came to a standstill. Only news from the Southern front in Poland was able to break anything. The Russians had broken through on all fronts, the German Southern Army, that had depended on reinforcements to hold of the Russian momentum, completely collapsed and was running to the West, back to the safety of Germany proper. The Southern Russian Army, under the command of General Korshanenko then charged Northwards, slamming into the rear of the now trapped Germans. Surrounded on all but one side, they ordered a full retreat from the Russian Army, and from Russia itself. The German High Command, by making a simple mistake of allowing the Baltic Soldiers to handle their own defense, now watched as land gained from Russia slowly reverted back to the Russians. [-100,000 Regulars from Germany. -750,000 Conscripts from Germany. -750,000 Conscripts from Russia. -400 Trade Balance from Germany.]
This massive offensive, now dubbed the Brusilov Offensive was now considered one of the greatest military victories in Russian History, barring the defeat of Napoleon in 1812. The Russians gained a massive amount of ground, completely taking Latvia and Estonia back, along with a majority of Lithuania. General Brusilov was promoted to the Supreme Commander of Russian Forces in the West, and hailed as a military genius, taking an army that is at a severe disadvantage and turning back the world's most advanced Army. The offensive was deemed over on November 17th, 1903, as the Russian Armies once again spread out to try and defend against any German counter-attacks.
2. General Aleksei Brusilov, called by some the Greatest General in the World.
The German High Command, still controlling three armies that are fully intact, reorganized them into two armies, under the command of General Fruehauf and General Koertig. Their goal was to try and push back the Russians using their superior technology, as the Russians had completely lost their momentum. Campaigning in Russia was getting difficult, however, the roads were starting to fill up with snow, making movement almost near impossible in some situations. Artillery pieces were sometimes left behind because the horses could no longer move them through the snow. The pieces that were brought along were moved by horse power and man power. The German High Command knew that some losses had to be made in order to keep the fighting up in Winter. Although they had winter gear, some things simply couldn't be done.
As much as the Russians moral had been lifted, the simple fact still remained. Only General Brusilov's Army could stand head on against a German Army and expect to survive. General Korshanenko had to wire back that his Army tried their best to hold out against General Koertig, but it was hopeless. The Russians ordered another General Retreat, this time into the Ukraine, hoping to utilize previously built trenches and defensive system. By December, the battle lines had been drawn in the South. The Russians and the Germans both sitting across a frozen field, dug well into trenches and defensive works. [-100,000 Regulars from Germany. -250,000 Conscripts from Russia.]
3. Russian Soldiers running away from a German Advance.
General Fruehauf, having to deal with two Russian Armies, decided that his best course of action was to probe the lines of General Nelidov, and determined that his front-line, composed of Korean veterans, was weak enough to collapse. While this was true, and fierce fighting took place between both sides, General Fruehauf knew he could not pursue the retreating Nelidov, as to his North General Brusilov stood, poised to strike downwards the second a move was made against the retreating Nelidov. Desperate, but confident he could win the war with more manpower, asked the German High Command and the German Government for one million more soldiers. If such a feat could be accomplished, he was certain that victory was in sight. With the showing in the South, he had no doubt Nelidov's Army would collapse, and sheer technological and numerical superiority could defeat General Brusilov. The Russians on the other hand, felt that another miracle could be pulled off, but the future was looking bleak for all their armies but Brusilov's. It truly was the only one that could match the Germans on the field without melting away. Even that was not enough to ensure they could be able to have a victory every time.
4. Map of the Russo-German Front in late December 1903.
Although the Russians had a resounding success with the Brusilov Offensive, the Germans easily reeled around and absorbed the shock, and even pushed back in the South. Many in the German High Command regarded it only as a minor setback, they still had the manpower and materials needed to continue the war, while Russia was living almost entirely off captured German supplies. Estimates that the Russian Army would be out of ammunition by the next summer were completely true, while new guns were a rare commodity in Russia. The Germans, however, have ample ammunition, and a constant supply of new guns and artillery. The two sides hunkered down in late December, both content to resting and waiting to resume fighting until the weather became more tolerable in the early Spring.
The Swedish Government has, due to the conflict currently raging in Eastern Europe, decided to issue the order for mobilisation, in order to guard against any attempted strike by Russian or French forces, which would attempt to open a supply line through our nation. Our fears are not unwarranted in this matter, we have several times received threats from both Governments, suggesting attacks to open supply lines, to tear apart our bonds with Norway and to violate our national sovereignty. Furthermore, the Russian invasion of Estonia, one of our Scandinavian brothers, causes us huge concern.
Therefore, for the good of the nation, the people and the Scandinavian people, we must prepare for a strike by the villainous Russians, who would seek to destroy our nations and friendships.
Therefore, for the good of the nation, the people and the Scandinavian people, we must prepare for a strike by the villainous Russians, who would seek to destroy our nations and friendships.