Rebuilding the Great Empire - Timurids AAR (Death and Taxes MOD)

blklizard · Dec 1, 2014

Chapter 191 (1900 [Part 1])

European Frontier

Girona

Aragonese forces prepared their defenses expecting Spanish forces to reinforce their lines. The reinforcements never came leaving Aragon alone facing off against a massive Mughals force. The Aragonese monarch, upon learning that his men were alone in the war, immediately ordered the abandonment of the capital leaving for Africa where he assumed would be a safer stronghold against the Mughals. Meanwhile, Mughals T-34 armored divisions entered the battlefield heading straight for the Aragonese soldiers who weren't expecting such fast moving tanks. They brought forth their anti-tank weapons hoping to take out several enemy tanks before the engagement takes place. However, their efforts saw no results as their shots failed to penetrate the angled frontal armors of the T-34. Without suffering any casualties, the armored divisions closed the distance enough so their duo machine guns opened fire. The Aragonese soldiers did their best but, under the lightning-fast and fierce assault of the enemy forces, they rout instantly. The armored divisions didn't stop there as they continued onwards to Girona where the monarch has yet managed to escape. The city was surrounded with the monarch trapped inside. The monarch, praying for mercy from his enemies, sent an envoy to speak with the Mughals generals. His offer included ceding his only province on mainland Europe while annulling all his treaties with Spain and Portugal. The offer was relayed to the Doge who accepted it without hesitation. In Iberia, there was one less nation to stand in the Mughals' way.

Pamplona

Portuguese forces and Spanish forces have gathered at the city hoping to at least slow down the Mughals. The walls were thick and their field guns were ready to fire at the incoming enemy. The garrison was large enough that a few small reserves were kept for the later stages of the siege. Unknown to the resisting forces, the Mughals have set up a temporary airbase at the town of Irun seeing many fighters enter Iberia. With the new airbase, these aircraft had the range to support Mughals forces and Pamplona just happened to be within that range. Thus, the Mughals forces encircled the city while remaining out of the field gun range while the fighters began their bombing runs. New bombs were created specifically for these kind of situations and each fighter carried a dozen or so bombs with them. At the battle, there were at least two dozen fighters flying in as a v-formation heading directly at the city. The defenders were shocked to see enemy fighters and were helpless against these machines in the air. The new and improved bombs were more reliable in that they guaranteed explosion upon impact. In addition, they had a larger exploding radius while still remaining lightweight ensuring that the fighters don't get weighed down. The fighters were coordinating in ridding the field guns atop the walls before contacting headquarters to signal for the land forces to move in. Panzer III armored divisions would make their last appearance at Pamplona with Panzer IVs soon replacing them.

The constant bombardment from the skies disrupted the defenders allowing the Panzer IIIs to avoid the worst of enemy fire. When the tanks arrived at the city walls, multiple breaches were already created seeing these tanks moving in with their guns blazing. Whatever remaining resistance that held out against the air bombardments would shatter under fire from the Panzer IIIs. While the tanks made their way through the streets, Mughals infantry entered the city and proceeded to take control of the walls. The capture of the city would take another five days with the Mughals soldiers needing to fight for every street. Suffering some casualties, the Mughals have won a decisive battle which put them at a massive advantage over their enemies. Several Portuguese armies committed to the defense which meant the defeat hit Portugal particularly hard. The fact that the Mughals took the city so quickly also threw the Iberian forces in disarray as they struggled to keep up. The Mughals, following their victory at Pamplona, would continue advancing forward without giving their enemy a breather. The fighter pilots did an exceptional job in the siege and were all awarded medals for their contributions. However, these unsuspecting pilots would soon find themselves in dangerous waters as the Spanish forces invented a new weapon to deal with them.

Bilbao

The Panzer IVs made their debuts in the siege of Bilbao. The Spanish forces in the city foolish sent out their Char B1s into battle only to be shredded by the combined forces of Panzer IVs and StuG IIIs. The loss of the Char B1s forced the defenders to remain inside their cities as they waited for the enemy to attack. A few of the soldiers inside the city were armed with a newly developed weapon that was still in the prototype stage. They have yet to test out the new weapon but they received reports that they were expected to play a major role in the defense of Bilbao. These men carried with them the first anti-air weapons in the war that were basically redesigned field guns. These weapons, often known as flak guns, were armed with specially made ammunition that would detonate at certain altitudes. Instead of designing these shells so they had to hit the target, these shells would explode in the air seeing shrapnel fired at all directions. The idea was that, if one exploded close enough, the shrapnel would rip into the fighters and either kill the pilot or damage the fighter enough so it would be removed from battle. As prototypes, these men didn't expect their flak guns to work exceptionally well but these were all they had against the Mughals fighters that terrorized so many battlefield.

Like the siege of Pamplona, the Mughals forces completed their encirclement and allowed their fighters to take the lead. The Spanish soldiers with their flak guns were waiting patiently until the fighters were within range. Without warning, they opened fire on the fighters that saw several projectiles fired into the air. The pilots weren't worried about the projectiles as none of them were heading at their planes. However, the pilots would know otherwise once those projectiles detonated. Shrapnel were sent flying in all directions and a few fighters were hit. One fighter was going down as a shrapnel found its way to one of the pilots wounding him severely while two others were forced to withdraw. The remaining fighters suddenly realized how dangerous the new weapon was and moved into formation to target those flak guns. The fighters did manage to take out half of the flak guns but they couldn't do so without taking heavy casualties. Out of the two dozen fighters that left Irun, four were shot down and twelve others withdrew from the battlefield. The remaining fighters were ordered to withdraw as well as headquarters feared they would be lost considering how difficult it was to replace fighters. While the land to air battle was taking place, Mughals forces moved forward while the Spanish forces were too mesmerized with the battle above their heads. The Mughals field guns got into position and opened fire on the enemy.

(To be continued...)

blklizard · Dec 2, 2014

Chapter 192 (1900 [Part 2])

European Frontier

Bilbao

The field guns opening fire caught the defenders completely by surprise seeing many blown to pieces. The celebrations inside the city about fending off the Mughals fighters was short-lived as everyone scrambled to man the walls that were under heavy fire. The concentrated fire made it nearly impossible for the defenders to man the walls which allowed Mughals infantry and tanks to close the distance without worrying about return fire. The Mughals infantry would set up explosives at the gate once they reach it. The explosives blew up the gates to pieces allowing the attackers to enter the city. The Panzer IVs rolled into the city where the defenders fired their machine guns with little effect. Parts of the city were falling under Mughals control as the tanks moved further in pushing back the defenders. When all hope seemed lost, the defenders abandoned the city altogether hoping to make it to the next city. They would never make it as the Mughals T-34s have arrived onto the battlefield and, with a speed of 40km/h on the nearly flat terrain surrounding the city, the tanks would easily encircle the Spanish soldiers. Many surrendered and those that resisted were shot down mercilessly. The first order of business for the Mughals generals when they entered the city was checking out the flak guns the Spanish forces used. While several were destroyed by Mughals fighters or Spanish soldiers hoping to not leave it to the enemies, there were a few intact ones that were immediately sent back to Mughals territory so engineers can learn more about these weapons. The flak guns have not only fended off the fighters in Bilbao but also managed to keep the remaining Mughals fighters grounded until a countermeasure could be found.

Barcelona

While the battle was going on in Bilbao, Mughals forces have left the newly annexed province of Girona making their way to Barcelona which was a key city in Spain. The Mughals forces encountered no resistance along the way and arrived at Barcelona swiftly. The city appeared to be well defended which made the Mughals generals slightly cautious. They sent in the T-34s into battle hoping to probe the strength of the enemy. Defenders on the walls opened fire on the tanks but their weapons did little to halt the tanks. However, things took a turn for the worse when the tanks suddenly stumbled onto a mine field that the Spanish forces set up while the Mughals were busy with Aragonese forces. The T-34, while well armored at the front and relatively well armored on the side and rear, lacked protection in its underbelly which saw the mine explosions turn the T-34 in flaming wrecks. The armored division was called back before more tanks were lost but the damage was already done. A dozen or so T-34 wrecks were halted and their crews burned alive. The defenders cheered once they saw the armored divisions falling back. They believed they have solved the enemy armored divisions and earned a rare victory against a powerful enemy. The Mughals generals were frustrated with the losses but they immediately got their field gun crews to deal with the mine field. By firing in coordination, the field guns hit every inch of the battlefield between the city and the attackers setting off all the mines. Once the mines were gone, the attacker of Barcelona would resume.

The T-34s were sent out again and, this time, they would have nothing to fear. The armored division stopped below the walls with their machine guns trained at the top of the walls. The defenders were suppressed by the machine gun fire allowing the Mughals infantry to close the distance unscathed. These infantry tried similar tactics as those in Bilbao by putting explosives at the gates but the Barcelona gates were heavily reinforced allowing them to handle the blast. The attacking infantry had to resort to plan B where they would scale the walls. When they were three quarters up the walls, the machine guns on the T-34s stopped firing which gave the defenders a chance to fire back. However, their efforts were a little to late as many Mughals soldiers already arrived atop the walls and were engaged in melee combat. While the Mughals infantry were trained in melee combat, the Spanish soldiers weren't. Thus, the skirmish atop the walls ended quickly with the Mughals taking control of the walls. The gate was opened and, few hours later, all resistance within the city was quelled. Barcelona has been captured by the Mughals which was a key victory when one looked in hindsight. The Spanish forces that were expected to delay the enemy were gathered either in Bilbao or Barcelona. With the two cities taken, Spain was effectively out of units to repel the attackers. Only Galician and Portuguese forces remained to defend Iberia in a hopeless cause.

Santander

Santander was the last remaining stronghold in Iberia because all resisting forces were gathered there. The Galician and Portuguese forces that joined the garrison weren't alerted of the full evacuation of Spanish forces in the Iberian Peninsula. They manned the walls actually expecting some reinforcements to join them. Once Santander was surrounded, it was becoming obvious that they were alone in the struggles against the Mughals. To say the garrison was alone was technically incorrect as the Portuguese navy and a few Gailican ships was nearby to provide support. The dreadnoughts would turn their guns to the battlefield and opened fire once Mughals T-34s and Panzer IVs were in motion. These dreadnoughts lacked accuracy but, if their shot were close enough, the tank in the blast radius would instantly become a burning wreck. Seeing their tanks under heavy fire, Mughals sent field guns to fire back at the dreadnoughts while infantry were sent in to support the tanks. The problem for the field guns was that the Portuguese have researched a better gun able to fire at longer distance allowing them to stay out of range of the Mughals field guns. Thus, these ships could support the garrison with impunity. However, their rate of fire was limited and the Mughals were determined to take the city.

Mughals infantry suffered considerably more casualty now that they were forced to engage the enemy who returned fire. With numbers advantage and a few tanks reaching the walls, the Mughals would eventually captured the outer walls which rendered the enemy navies useless. Street battles would ensue and progress was grueling for the attackers. Mughals forces were either inside the city or out of range of enemy ships. The navies, seeing little they could do for the garrison, were forced to withdraw. Galicia would soon be preparing for their last desperate stand while the Portuguese, like their Spanish counterparts, were preparing for a full evacuation from Europe to the New World. The last stand by the Iberian nations wasn't as glorious as many thought it would be. The Mughals suffered reasonable casualties but their gains were quite massive. It was only August and the Mughals have already captured three major cities in Iberia giving them a fairly large land to operate from. Their intelligence reported that less resistance were expected once they pushed deeper but the Mughals generals weren't letting down their guards. They would accept the reports once they see it by their own eyes. The attack on Iberia has cost many lives and they wished not to throw away more due to carelessness.

blklizard · Dec 4, 2014

Chapter 193 (1900 [Part 3])

European Frontier

Iberia Peninsula

The fall of Santander meant the last bit of resistance in Spain has been eliminated. Mughals forces would move along the coast as they captured ports after ports. Once they have sealed off all exits, the Mughals would strike at the interior which, hopefully by then, would be more than willing to surrender. Coastal towns and cities all surrendered because their garrisons have been pulled out nearly a month ago paving an easy pathway for the Mughals. The Mughals force in northern Iberia would proceed to Galicia where the small nation was still determined to continue resisting. Upon reaching the Gilicia capital, the monarch was offered a chance for surrender but the foolish monarch refused the generous offer claiming he would rather die than see his land fall into Mughals hands. The capital had a small garrison of only two thousand which was nearly wiped out after a few volleys from the Mughals field guns. The Mughals then broke through the gate overwhelming the defenders. Galicia would fall under Mughals control in September which saw the small Iberian nation annexed. With Galicia under their control, a few thousand soldiers were left behind to garrison the capital while the majority began heading south into Portuguese territory. Meanwhile, Mughals forces in eastern Iberia were making steady progress southwards as they met no resistance along the way. By the time they reached southern Iberia, Mughals forces already learned of a last minute evacuation by the Spanish monarch at Gibraltar where the entire Spanish navy and remnants of their armies were gathered. Hoping not to repeat the incident with the French monarch, the Mughals generals ordered their soldiers to bypass all towns and cities so they could make their way straight to Gibraltar.

The Mughals soldiers were in forced march as they tried to prevent the evacuation. The Spanish generals posted some scouts in the outskirts and learned of the incoming enemy force. They assembled a small but well trained detachment that were meant to die for the monarch. These men were to use guerrilla tactics to wear down and, ideally, distract the Mughals forces long enough for the monarch to escape. The evacuation was nearly halfway done and the Spanish generals didn't want to see all the hard work wasted. The detachments were sent out and the men set up many mine fields and, armed with some of the newest anti-tank weapons, they took up positions in the hills which they knew like the back of their hands. The Mughals T-34s were first to be intercepted by these guerrilla forces and the armored division would have a tough time. Several of them drove over mines that blew up and killed the crews inside. Meanwhile, the new Spanish anti-tank weapons were actually doing damage to the tanks forcing the armored division to take them seriously. Yet, these men disappeared when the enemy tanks turned their attention onto them. This went on for several days until Mughals infantry arrived onto the scene. There were several Mughals groups trained in the guerrilla scenarios and they would eventually eliminate the detachment. However, the sacrifices of the Spanish soldiers weren't in vain as the Spanish fleet has pulled out of Gibraltar by the time Mughals forces arrive.

The Mughals forces leaving Galicia made steady progress in Portugal despite there being slightly more resistance, though not by much. The resistance were meant to slow down Mughals advance which, in a way, was being accomplished. The Portuguese monarch and his subjects were evacuating in Lisbon mimicking the Spanish. The Portuguese monarch expected the Mughals advance to be slower which explained why their evacuation was so late. Because they were short on time, the evacuation was crudely planned seeing many problems arise during the process. Some garrisons were set up in northern Portugal as roadblocks but they did very little to halt the Mughals advance. The Portuguese navy has been in the port for a few months and yet their departure looked distant. When the news of Mughals forces spotted only days from Lisbon, the Portuguese royal family was in disarray. Most of them still weren't ready to leave and some were stubborn enough that forcing them to leave before they were prepared only earned one loud cursing and swearing. The Mughals finally arrived outside Lisbon in November as they prepared to storm the city. The defenders weren't in a mood for a fight and many defected before the siege even began. The Portuguese admiral immediately gave orders to forcibly escort the royal family onto the ships so they could depart at once. However, his little plan was cut short when the Mughals fighters made their appearance over the city of Lisbon.

Since the terrible losses in Bilbao, the Mughals fighters were grounded temporarily. However, the pilots fought against the decision with tooth and nails. They claimed that, as the soldiers of Mughals, they were meant to fight on the front lines and not hide in the rear. The fact that they were grounded from flight was the largest insult they ever received in life. The commanding officer of the fighters was understanding and relayed the messages to headquarter in southern France. After a few back and forth messages, the officer received the order that the pilots would be allowed to fly again. They must first relocate to the recently captured Coimbra where they will fuel up before they begin their attack on Lisbon. Headquarters had learned of the successful Spanish evacuation and didn't want the same to happen with Portugal. The fighter pilots were given clear orders that they would fly past the city itself and bombard all the docked ships. These pilots were given a new type of explosives that would be devastating against even dreadnought armor. The pilots were given the orders and they immediately carried out the mission. Their fighters would fly over Lisbon meeting no resistance as they closed their distance to the port where several ships were docked. The fighters broke from formation and the new explosives were dropped from above. Due to their experience, all the explosives landed on their intended targets seeing several dreadnoughts and transport ships in flames. The fighters continued their bombing runs until they had to rearm and refuel but, by then, all hopes of escape for the Portuguese monarch was gone.

While the fighters were cutting off the escape route, Mughals ground forces assaulted the walls which was already under heavy bombardment. The outer wall fell within a few minutes seeing Mughals infantry and tanks entering the city literally unopposed. The Portuguese monarch, seeing that resistance was futile, ordered his soldiers to lower their weapons and wave a white flag atop the inner wall. The gate was opened with the monarch presenting himself before the Mughals soldiers. He would be brought before the Mughals generals where they would negotiate the peace of Portugal. Meanwhile, Mughals forces in other parts of Iberia were finishing with the coastal region and were moving into the interior where all resistance have stopped. Seeing their own monarch abandoning them, the Spanish people no longer had the will to keep fighting. All of Spanish possessions on Iberia was occupied but, with the Spanish monarch still at large, the war with Spain hasn't ended yet. As for Portugal, the agreement was Portugal ceding all its territories on mainland Europe seeing their presence in Iberia forever removed. The Mughals didn't want any unexpected surprises from Portugal whose navy was still a major threat. The monarch and his family was allowed to leave on the day of the treaty with him being the last Portuguese monarch to rule in Europe.

European Frontier

blklizard · Dec 5, 2014

Chapter 194 (Unofficial 5 Year Ceasefire)

Following the capture of the Iberian Peninsula, World War I has entered an unofficial ceasefire that would last for five years. The ceasefire unofficially began on January 1, 1901, merely days after annexation of Portugal. Both sides were weary of the war that has devastated many nations with their citizens hurting the most. Despite trying to find a peace deal to end the conflict, the Mughals Doge couldn't get his plead for peace heard by the opposition. Thus, the war would carry on. Mughals patrols would be spread out along the coastal provinces while the industry continued producing military weapons. The Mughals were making preparations to invade their enemy and, to do so, they needed a navy. In 1900, the Mughals navy was nonexistent with much work to be done. For the next five years, Mughals naval shipyards, located in either Scandinavia or Crimean region, were put into overdrive as grand fleets were being built. Several new designs were created during those times as the mighty empire was getting ready to challenge her enemies for control of the seas. For the Mughals navy, two designs that stood out the most were the submarine and the carrier. The submarines were submerged watercraft that would serve as reconnaissance due to their elusiveness and sleek design allowing them to be faster than most ships at the time. As for the carrier, such a grand ship would serve to support the Mughals' air force as both sides fought for air superiority.

On the topic of air superiority, the Mughals have learned from their experiences in Iberia. First, the Mughals put forth designs for the bombers that had the sole objective of bombing enemy targets from the air. The bombers, unlike the fighters, were larger so they have a greater capacity for bombs. The larger silhouette also made them slower and less maneuverable which, at first glance, seemed to make their more vulnerable to anti-air weapons. For better survivability against the new anti-air weapons built by the enemy, the bombers would fly at much higher altitudes during their bombing runs, though such altitudes may severely affect their accuracy which resulted in the idea of carpet bombing. While many Mughals generals agreed that carpet bombing could result in skyrocketing civilian casualties, they agreed that the conclusion of the war would save more lives in the long run. Secondly, the fighters went through several new changes along the way because bombers would take away one of their previous roles. The enemy, according to intelligence, was building their own fighters which was fitted to shoot down Mughals aircraft. While many of their anti-air weapons showed promising results, the enemy agreed that they didn't want to give up the air to the enemy. Thus, Mughals fighters would be refitted to deal with the enemy aircraft that would no doubt be targeting the valuable bombers.

The Mughals army also went through a series of changes that would greatly affect the outcomes of many battles. When tanks like Panzer IV and T-34 came out, the generals believed that they had reached the peak in tank designs but they were wrong. The medium tanks they have created were effective at the time but, with the enemy creating newer and better anti-tank weapons, the Mughals must do the same with their Saxony allies. The notable German tanks were the Tiger and the Panzer. The Panzer was a medium tank that was meant to replace the Panzer IV. The Panzer has excellent firepower and protection while having 50 km more operational range than the Panzer IV and reaching up to 55 km/h on flat terrain. Meanwhile, the Tiger was the first heavy Germany tank that has encountered many problems in its prototype stage. High fuel consumption and immobilization in less than ideal terrains were two of the notable flaws but, months before the ceasefire ended, the flaws were fixed resulting in one of the most impressive tanks on the battlefield. The Tiger was well known for its 88 mm gun that boasted excellent accuracy seeing it as the sniper of the tanks. Mughals engineers, not to be outdone, would start on a new IS tank family. Their IS 2, the first Russian heavy tank to be put into service, had thick armor capable of countering the German 88mm gun while boasting a 122 mm gun that seemed capable of dealing with any tank armor. The only notable flaws were the slow reload rate of the gun and limited ammo capacity.

While the main focus was on the military, the Mughals were also focusing on domestic matters like rebuilding. The capital, Delhi, has suffered a great fire but much resources were already invested in the metropolis. It would still take a few years before the metropolis could return to its former glory but, like the nation itself, it would recovering. The other notable region heavily affected by war was the Southern France region. When the region was occupied, many civilians were massacred due to their sympathies towards the Mughals. Families were torn apart while villages were burnt down. Many farms were ravaged and cities were looted. Helping the region recover required time and supplies were needed to be sent there from elsewhere. To speed up the recovery, new railroads were built connecting the rest of the Mughals empire to the Southern France region which also helped boost the local trade and, of course, shipping troops to France region. To further ensure stability remain in the region, the nation of Burgundy was fully annexed into the Mughals nation. The people of former Burgundy have suffered greatly like many others and, when they saw Mughals soldiers helping them rebuild their lives, many stopped their resistance which helped bridge the gap between the two sides created by the senseless war. During the ceasefire, new medicine were created and several major projects commenced that would see new hospitals and infrastructure built across the nation for the years to come. In addition, new schools would be built in the outlying villages and towns so more Mughals people can become literate.

On the topic of rebuilding, one cannot forget about Saxony. The great nation has evacuated many people from their homes but many more were left behind and had to live under enemy occupation. When the Mughals returned to liberate the region, they discovered cruel experiments tried on innocent civilians. These experiments wiped out large populations in many parts of Saxony making the rebuilding effort more difficult. The Mughals provided aid to their allies while sending people like doctors and teachers to support in whatever ways they can. Seeing the devastation Saxony suffered, the Mughals Doge agreed that Saxony can remain passive for the remainder of the war so she can recover. He expected Saxony to provide their engineers to help the war effort but nothing else. However, the German people refused to remain passive after learning of the crimes committed upon their people. While most of the government budget was focused on domestic issues, a section was specifically used in creating a Saxony navy. Lacking the men to form armies that would be effective on the land, the Saxony people sought to aid the Mughals by creating a fleet that would help their allies in controlling the seas. One must note that the idea of a carrier belonged to a Saxony engineer which would see any successes with the carrier attributed to the German people. The war has solidified the bonds between the two nations and their people. As the ceasefire was winding down, both nations were preparing to end the war once and for all.

European Frontier (Jan 1, 1906)

blklizard · Dec 6, 2014

Chapter 195 (1906 [Part 1])

European Frontier

Celtic Sea

The Mughals fleets prepared to head out from the ports. One fleet, called the Crimean Fleet, would set off from northern Iberia heading towards southern Great Britain while the other fleet, called the Scandinavian Fleet, set off at western Scandinavia heading for the northern Scottish region. Spies sent to the Isles have learned that the enemy has grown complacent seeing the allies of Great Britain not sending any ships to aid their defense. Both fleets were expected to engage enemy ships near the Isles but there was a slightly unexpected turn of event on January 21 when some Mughals ships in the Crimean Fleet reported that they were under attack not from British ships but, instead, Irish ships. The admirals could only theorize that the two nations struck up an alliance secretly and this was the moment Ireland joined the war. It was discovered later that Wales would also participate in the war seeing a few of their ships supporting the Irish navy. The Crimean navy was given order to fight back against any aggression and they did just that against the Irish and Welsh fleet. The enemy possessed all dreadnoughts which was the norm for the coalition against the Mughals. The Mughals, however, came up with multiple new designs to make their navy more versatile and this first engagement would soon put the new designs to the test. The first design to step up to the plate was the heavy cruisers that were under heavy fire. These lighter ships were sent to scout out the position of enemy ships and they managed to pinpoint the Irish navy. Two heavy cruisers were lost in the initial engagement but the scouting ships withdraw immediately so their bigger ships can deal with the enemy navy.

As the heavy cruisers disengaged the enemy, the main core of the Crimean Fleet was sent into action. The Mughals battleships, the equivalent of enemy dreadnoughts, would enter the battle first fighting the enemy toe to toe. Both sides traded heavy fire seeing neither sides winning. The plan for the Mughals was to engage their most heavily armored ships to take the blows while allowing their other ships to get into position. The Mughals would soon have the upper hand when their battlecruisers swung around to the rear of the enemy navy and opened fire. In addition, several MTBs would get closer to enemy dreadnought launching their torpedoes. The dreadnoughts were unable to take any evasive maneuvers from the torpedoes, due to the engagement with Mughals battleships, which immediately saw several enemy capital ships taking water. With firepower that could match that of battleships while possessing a lot more mobility, the battlecruisers have maneuvered to the ideal position to engage the enemy that resulted in the Irish and Welsh fleet finding itself taking fire from all sides. Their admirals ordered a withdraw but the dreadnoughts were too bulky to move anywhere quickly. An hour later, the fleet was decimated with only a few ships limping back to ports. The Crimean Fleet didn't go unscathed with five battleships sunk and a few more forced to withdraw for repairs. Overall, the naval battle was considered a success for the Mughals who were never known as a power of the sea. However, the naval engagement did give the British navy time to regroup and coordinate seeing the real fight about to begin for the control of the seas.

North Sea

While the Crimean Fleet was engaged with the enemy, the Scandinavian Fleet encountered a small patrolling British fleet. The British intelligence has learned that the Mughals navy might be moving soon but they have yet to receive any exact dates. The scouting fleet was meant to pinpoint the enemy positions and report back to headquarters. This fleet, consisting of six dreadnoughts, were expected to survive any engagements against enemy ships which explained why it was isolated in the North Sea during the encounter of the two sides. The heavy cruisers would withdraw before the dreadnought could fire at them before heading in the southwest direction to continue their reconnaissance mission. The admiral of the Scandinavian Fleet, Admiral Järle Olsson, boldly ordered his MTBs to race forward first. He knew that enemy dreadnoughts would fire at these fast but lightly armored ships but he had faith the ships' maneuverability would allow them to get close unscathed. The admiral was right as the MTBs closed the distance quickly while the dreadnoughts' slow rate of fire only allowed the capital ships to fire a few shots which failed to hit any of the smaller ships. The torpedoes were fired as though as the MTBs were close enough and, surprisingly enough, the captains aboard the dreadnoughts didn't order evasive actions seeing the torpedoes ripping holes in the hulls of the dreadnoughts. The capital ships were slowly taking water but the torpedoes weren't enough to sink the ships.

The MTBs continued to harass the dreadnoughts and one of the six dreadnoughts would eventually begin its dive to the depths. Meanwhile, the other dreadnoughts, due to taking in water, were slowed down allowing the Mughals battleships to close the distance. With their stern facing the enemy battleships, only a few of the guns aboard the dreadnought could fire which proved to be a costly mistake. The battleships let loose several volleys instantly setting three dreadnoughts on fire. The remaining two suffered critical engine damage seeing the two ships stop dead in their tracks. The crew aboard the two ships would surrender to the Scandinavian Fleet which towed the two captured dreadnoughts back to base. The Scandinavian Fleet, unlike the Crimean Fleet, suffered minimal damage in the engagement and would proceed to their intended destination. Their destination would soon change when the heavy cruisers that disengaged from the battle reported sightings of a large British navy off the coast of Edinburgh heading straight for the Scandinavian Fleet. Admiral Olsson immediately gave orders for his men to prepare for battle while relaying the coordinates of the British navy back to headquarter. The fleet would form a formation seeing the battleships at the front, battlecruisers at the flanks with MTBs waiting behind the battleships. With only minutes to prepare, Olsson sent a quick order to the three ships that were hidden in the rear.

The British fleet would soon be within sight of the Scandinavian Fleet seeing two major fleets engaging for the first time in the war. The British fleet consisted of forty dreadnoughts that, despite being somewhat outdated, were well maintained and ready for battle. The Scandinavian Fleet had twenty battleships, twenty battlecruisers, a handful of MTBs and, hidden in the rear, three carriers. While they had the numbers advantage, the Scandinavian fleet was expected to suffer heavy losses. The two fleet closed the distance steadily until they were within range of each other seeing capital ships on both sides trading fire. The battlecruisers were forced to withdraw because their lack of armor made a frontal engagement disadvantageous. Initially, the British fleet was having the upper hand with nearly double the capital ships. The Mughals MTBs have yet to engage the enemy which seemed an odd move but the tide of the battle was slowly shifting. While the British dreadnoughts were busy pouring fire into enemy battleships, Mughals bombers have taken to the air from the carriers and were closing in on the dreadnoughts. These bombers, unlike their counterparts that supported land warfare, were armed with torpedoes. These bombers were meant to fly at low altitudes until they were close enough to fire their torpedoes. Because of the limited ammunition capacity of these bombers, their torpedoes were significantly more powerful than the torpedoes used by the MTBs which would soon be proven once the torpedoes hit their targets.

blklizard · Dec 8, 2014

Chapter 196 (1906 [Part 2])

European Frontier

North Sea

The bombers were flying low altitude as they closed in on enemy dreadnoughts that were engaged in a firefight with Mughals battleships. The torpedoes were released and, moments later, they found their targets and created large gaping holes in the dreadnought hulls. A few began sinking almost immediately while many others were disabled as the explosions took out the engines or other components aboard the dreadnoughts. Meanwhile, the battlecruisers were already flanking the enemy fleet seeing them having the rear. As they were laying down heavy fire, a few were assigned to intercept dreadnoughts that were attempting to withdraw from the battle. The naval battle would last ten more minutes with the bombers targeting any dreadnoughts that continued resisting. By the end of the battle, the Mughals lost ten battleships and captured three dreadnoughts while the British suffered a massive blow with the loss of thirty seven dreadnoughts. The British fleet of dreadnoughts suddenly became a remnant consisting of only three dreadnoughts that were in desperate needs of repair. During their retreat, one of the dreadnought took too much water seeing it sink as it joined the other dreadnoughts at the sea floor. As for the Mughals fleet, the loss of half their capital ships was enough to force the Scandinavian fleet to head back to the naval base for repairs while the shipyards surrounding the Baltic Sea continued production to replace the ships lost. Despite the losses, the Mughals have clearly won the engagement due to their torpedo bombers.

Celtic Sea

The Crimean Fleet was withdrawing after their brief victory over the Irish and Welsh fleet. The engagement would no doubt be relayed to British forces alerting the British fleets of their whereabouts. Unsure what countermeasures the British would take, the admiral of the Crimean Fleet, Kazak Atalay, wished to fall back and move out once his heavy cruisers gathered more intelligence on the sea. During the withdraw, Admiral Atalay suddenly learned that a British fleet was closing on them. There were twenty dreadnoughts reporting to be moving very swiftly and the Mughals battleships didn't have a chance to outrunning these ships. Unknown to Atalay, these dreadnoughts were the new and improved dreadnoughts fresh from British shipyards. They were given a new engine giving them five knots on Mughals battleships which explained why they were closing the gap steadily. However, the extra speed was also a hindrance since they left friendly dreadnoughts behind resulting in overextending. The Mughals Admiral ordered his twenty five battleships to turn around while the ten battlecruisers and 20 MTBs moved to the rear. Meanwhile, the heavy cruisers would sail westwards so they could bypass the battle and scout if the enemy had any reinforcements. It didn't take long for Atalay to learn of the massive fleet that lagged further behind and he chose to attack then with the twenty dreadnoughts overextended.

The battleships would advance forward with their numbers advantage and, by the time the captains aboard the dreadnoughts realized what was taking place, they were already too close to pull away from the engagement. The battleships, with the support of the battlecruisers, launched devastating volleys after volleys sinking several of the new dreadnoughts while sending many other packing. By the time enemy reinforcements arrived, their new and improved dreadnoughts were reduced to five or so wrecks trying to limp back to friendly territory. Atalay would later learn that the British reinforcements consisted of fifty dreadnoughts which, faced against eighteen battleships and nine battlecruisers along with the 20 MTBs that stayed in the rear, seemed to have the upper hand. However, the time they needed to engage the Mughals proved to give the Mughals bombers in western France enough time to arrive. The fifty dreadnoughts, unlike the newly built dreadnoughts, lacked anti-air capabilities because they were the outdated models. The British admiral has hoped that the new dreadnoughts could fend off enemy bombers but his new additions were effectively removed from the fight. Thus, the fifty dreadnoughts, while many in numbers, were at the mercy of the torpedo bombers that closed the distance eager to take pieces out of them. Atalay, knowing that the bombers have arrived, ordered his ships to withdraw as the direct engagement would end very poorly for his fleet. While his enemy gave chase, the bombers would give them hell.

The Crimean Fleet began a full out withdraw with enemy dreadnoughts giving chase. The battlecruisers easily outran the dreadnoughts but the battleships were still at risk of being sunk. The bombers closed their distance and let loose their torpedoes. Because the British fleet was in a tight formation, a torpedo that would have otherwise missed still found the hull of one unfortunate dreadnought. The torpedoes were already taking a toll after many bombing runs by the bombers seeing ten dreadnoughts sunk and an equal number falling behind due to engine damage or engine failure. Those dreadnoughts were ordered to withdraw but the Mughals MTBs have disengage the main British fleet and chased them down mercilessly. Despite having weaker torpedoes, their constant harass would eventually sink the routing dreadnoughts. As for the battlecruisers, their captains ordered their ships to head to the west and await the order to reenter the battle. During the withdraw, a few battleships were sunk with the remaining still trying to outrun the dreadnoughts. The bombers kept up their support and soon half the dreadnought fleet was sunk to the ocean floor. Atalay then ordered his battleships to turn around to fight the dreadnoughts which has dropped to only fifteen. With the help of the battlecruisers and the MTBs that returned from their harassment, the remaining British fleet was decimated. The bombers didn't participate in the final hour of battle because they have ran out of ammunition.

The destruction of sixty five dreadnoughts was an incredible victory for the Mughals. Dreadnoughts were expensive to build and, despite being somewhat outdated, those ships were still dangerous on the open seas. These losses, along with the losses in the North Sea, was a devastating blow to Britain's defenses against Mughals invasion. The British Royal Navy still had several ships at their disposal but their losses have definitely weakened it severely. The once seemingly invincible British Royal Navy was defeated in not one, but two, major engagements. Such defeats were unheard of and the victories boost the morale of the Mughals sailors that were waiting for news at the shipyards while their ships were being produced. As for the Mughals, the victories didn't come without casualties. The Crimean navy would lose a total of twenty battleships and four battlecruisers. The heavy losses would dock the Crimean navy until more ships could reinforce it. The Mughals torpedo bombers have played a major roles in both seas but their job weren't done yet. Both Mughals navies needed time to replenish their ships before they could face off against the British Royal Navy in what the admirals hope would be the decisive blow. However, the inactivity of the Mughals navies didn't mean the British could get a breather. The Mughals generals have already planned a different assault as they looked to further weaken the defenses and will of the British people. As for Saxony, her navy would soon make an appearance in battle and it would make a name for itself.

blklizard · Dec 9, 2014

Chapter 197 (1906 [Part 3])

European Frontier

Southern Britain

The June of 1906 saw the Mughals Air Force (MAF) heading out for the assault of Great Britain. Fighters would fly ahead as they scouted the Isles while bombers were flying at higher altitudes. The British have learned of the invasion but were unable to learn the exact date of the assault. Thus, they placed spotters everyday whose job was to alert the British Royal Air Force (RAF) of enemy planes. When the Mughals fighters were spotted, the spotters immediately relayed the information to headquarters which saw the British fighters taking to the air. Since the fall of Iberia, the British gathered information on Mughals fighters and designed their own fighters hoping challenge the Mughals for control of the skies. No British fighters participated in the earlier naval engagements because the British government was worried that the Mughals would strike when their defenses were weakened by the absence of those fighters. By pouring much of their resources in anti-air weapons and fighters during the unofficial Ceasefire, the RAF was pretty much an equal to the MAF and the upcoming battle would determine which air force would rule the skies. While the MAF had doubled the planes of the RAF, half of those planes were bombers that were designed for bombing runs and not air-to-air combat. The objective of the MAF was for the bombers to devastate the infrastructure in Southern Britain while their fighters would be engaged in dogfights trying to fend off the enemy fighters. The battle for air superiority would soon commence over Great Britain airspace which would be the first actual combat to take place on, or above in this case, British soil. Victory for Mughals would pave an easier invasion while a defeat could delay the invasion for months up to a year.

The MAF's fighters, compared to their RAF counterparts, had better climb rate while being 50 km/h faster. The Mughals fighters were armed with six machine guns while their counterparts had two machine guns along with two cannons. While the generals at the time weren't sure which fighters were better, the odds were somewhat stacked against the Mughals in the upcoming battle. With anti-air weapons supporting along with the same number of fighters as the enemy, the British only needed to rip through the enemy fighters before they could have easy pickings with the bombers at higher altitudes. Thus, British generals were confident they would achieve a total victory and even began organizing a victory party for their surviving pilots. Meanwhile, the two air forces closed the distance until the fighters broke from formations as the dog fights began. British forces on the ground were using their flak guns before the dogfights began but they failed to take out any enemy fighters. It must be noted that the Mughals fighters have gone through many changes since the invasion of Iberia making them sturdier against flak guns which provided them with better survivability. Once the dogfights began, the British ground forces were rendered ineffective as they couldn't hit enemy targets without hitting one of their own. This was good news for the Mughals pilots who already have plenty to worry about in the air. The Mughals bombers were flying at higher altitudes avoiding the main fight but they weren't exactly passive as the turreted machine gun at the bomber's belly would used to target the enemy fighters below.

Fighters on both sides broke from their formation soon engaged in one-on-one fights against the enemy. The MAF would used their better climb rate to get better altitudes before trying to maneuver behind the RAF fighters. Many succeeded but a few couldn't climb quickly enough and, with their belly exposed to the enemy, were quickly shot down by the cannons that were deadly against such poorly armored targets. The RAf struck first blood but they would encounter problems once MAF fighters got their rear shooting all six machine guns. Several RAF fighters took evasive actions seeing them unscathed while a few unfortunate fighters were ripped to pieces. Both sides have suffered some losses but the battle has only just began. A few of the British fighters looked to climb up to get behind their pursuers but they would be in for a nasty surprise when they realized the bombers above were shooting down. These fighters were unfortunate to be within effective range of the bomber machine guns seeing them turning into burning hulks. Meanwhile, British ground forces, seeing their side losing, resumed their attacks to the air that was damaging both friendly and enemy fighters. The RAF fighters, with the heavy enemy and friendly fire, began to withdraw hoping their ground forces could deal with the enemy. However, the speed advantage of the MAF fighters saw them unable to pull away and many more British planes would be shot down.

The MAF fighters were still under constant flak fire that was taking a toll. They were winning the dogfights but continuous pursue of the withdrawing RAF fighters would only result in more casualties as they were constantly under fire from British ground forces. Thus, the fighters were told to climb higher out of the range from the flak fire. They would act as close escorts for the bombers that were closing in on the British capital, London, despite the fact that the RAF was in no condition to continue the fighting for the remainder of the day. At the higher altitudes, the anti-air weapons designed by the Britain proved to be ineffective which would soon be costly now that the bombers have made it in range of London. Once London was within range, the bombers let loose their bombs below targeting everything. At their current altitude, there was no chance for precision bombing and, instead, they must use carpet bombing hoping to do as much damage as they could. The bombs rained down onto the city blowing up everything in their radius. The British civilians were helpless against the bombardment with many rushing to the nearby bomb shelters where they would wait out the bombing runs. The RAF had to change their destination and headed north for their repairs instead. The MAF bombers would continue to bomb London until they only had ten percent ammunition left. They then ceased the bombing of London as they began heading back. The British believed the bombing run has ended but they were sadly mistaken as the bombers had one more area to lay devastation.

The MAF has been working closely with another friendly force that was sneaking across the Channel while the enemy was distracted by the MAF. Several transports were moving steadily across the Channel with the men aboard hoping they weren't spotted by the British RN since they had no escorts with them. The Scandinavian Fleet and Crimean Fleet were out of commission unable to provide support. Thus, the men aboard the transports waited helplessly aboard their transports while they moved closer to British soil. The British were indeed too preoccupied with the bombings to notice the incoming transport and they would be further distracted when the MAF bombers used their remaining ammunition to bomb the coast. British infantry ducked for cover as explosions shook the earth around them. Their anti-air weapons were abandoned out in the open as everyone strove for self-preservation. The bombing run would last several minutes before the MAF pulled out from British airspace with their objectives accomplished. The British soldiers along the coastal defenses were too afraid to come out of their hiding spot which gave the Mughals infantry time to exit their transports and climb onto the beach. Moving quickly and quietly, these infantry would take up strategic locations and they soon had the British soldiers surrounded. The British, seeing no way out, surrendered which saw a beachhead on the British Isles secured by the Mughals.

blklizard · Dec 11, 2014

Chapter 198 (1906 [Part 4])

European Frontier

Southern Britain

Securing the beachhead was a key victory but the Mughals had a few problems. First, they had only a single army that cross the Channel while their main forces were still on the mainland. The Mughals general leading the army in southern Britain had no illusions that he could take on British forces with only two hundred thousand men at his disposal. Secondly, the bombers and fighters needed to fall back to refuel meaning that air support was temporarily unavailable. Thirdly, the British has learned of their bold move and ordered their RN to cut off the Channel preventing further crossings. The Mughals army was basically isolated until the Scandinavian and Crimean fleets could resume their engagements against the RN. Anticipating this would happen, several of the transports that arrived at southern Britain were filled solely on supplies so that the army would remain well supplied for at least a year or two. The Mughals soldiers were put to work immediately as they strengthened the fortifications on the beach providing them with cover from bombardment of the RN which would eventually happen. The Mughals soldiers laid low and their casualties were low during the bombardment phase. British forces attempted to wrest back the beach but the Mughals soldiers had enough firepower to fend off waves after waves of British soldiers. The RN bombardment would soon be silenced when the MAF returned and set to destroy the dreadnoughts that blockaded the Channel. Being the outdated versions, these dreadnoughts were forced to withdraw back to port given that the RAF couldn't provide any air support at the moment.

The Mughals held onto the beachhead for a month before both the Scandinavian and Crimean fleets finally arrived at the Channel. The Scandinavian Fleet consisted of forty battleships, twenty five battlecruisers, twenty MTBs and five carriers while the Crimean Fleet had thirty battleships, thirty battlecruisers, thirty MTBs and two carriers. The two fleets could replenish so quickly only due to the reserve that were kept. Following the naval battles, the reserves were called upon that would see the two fleets arriving at the Channel challenging the British for control of the English Channel. Further losses would be harder to replace despite the full production of the Mughals naval yards. Unlike the previous few engagements, the Saxony navy also arrived to support their ally. With a fleet of twenty battleships and ten battlecruisers, the Saxony reinforcements would greatly benefit the Mughals. The British RN, upon seeing their opposite number in the Channel, would head out in preparation for a major clash. Since the naval battles, the RN has consolidated all their ships creating an enormous navy consisting of a hundred sixty dreadnoughts, thirty of which were the newly built ones armed with anti-air weapons. Learning from their previous mistakes, the new dreadnoughts were kept in the rear while the outdated, but dangerous nonetheless, dreadnought engaged the enemy head on. Once the RN was spotted, the Scandinavian, Crimean and Saxony fleets moved out as the MAF took to the air.

Celtic Sea

The Mughals and Saxony fleets first pulled back so they could draw the enemy out of the Channel. Fighting in the English Channel would hinder the Mughals who needed room to maneuver their battlecruisers that would perform poorly if they were to trade fire with enemy dreadnoughts. The Mughals admirals were worried that the British may not follow but their worries were proven to be wrong as the British admirals, thinking they had the enemy fleets on the run once they realized the size of the British RN, were giving chase. The MAF, while already in the air, was ordered to remain passive fearing that their attacks may convince the British to retreat. The pursuit last for twenty minutes or so seeing all ships in the Celtic Sea. The Mughals admirals gave orders for their battleships to turn around and engage the enemy directly. Seventy Mughals battleships would turn as one as they bore down on an enemy who had the superior numbers. Meanwhile, Mughals and Saxony battlecruisers moved around the flank waiting for the engagement to take place first. With the battleships heading into battle, the MAF dropped to a lower altitude to commence their bombing runs. The torpedoes were released but, as they were climbing, the torpedo bombers encountered some aggressive anti-air fire that saw many bombers needing to return to the carriers for repair. By communicating on the radio, the pilots concluded that the thirty dreadnoughts in the rear were the culprits. Thus, the second bombing run saw the MAF targeting those dreadnoughts in hopes of eliminating the enemy's anti-air capabilities.

The bombers flew at low altitude again and over all the outdated dreadnoughts until they got the new dreadnoughts in their sights. As soon as their torpedoes were fired, the bombers took immediate evasive actions resulting less damage overall. The same, however, cannot be said for the dreadnoughts that didn't take any evasive maneuvers due to not expecting being targeted. Several of the new dreadnoughts were set aflame with their crews rushing to put out the fires. A few others suffered enough damage to be immobilized while the remainder were taking in water in different degrees. When the crews above the dreadnoughts thought they had time before the next bombing run, they would be in for a surprise when several Mughals fighters dropped in close releasing small explosives atop the anti-air weapons installed on the dreadnoughts. The fighter pilots took the gamble that their enemies wouldn't be expecting the attack and were rewarded handsomely by devastating the weapons rendering many of the new dreadnoughts useless against air. The bombers have climbed to high altitude by then and were preparing for another run at the outdated dreadnoughts that were engaged with friendly battleships. Mughals and Saxony battlecruisers have gotten the enemy flank and were providing effective fire while the MTBs moved to the rear finishing off the new, but now more or less crippled, dreadnoughts. The bomber's first bombing run sunk a few dreadnoughts seeing the torpedoes hitting the ammunition storage blowing the ships up in giant explosions but they still had more work to do.

The Mughals battleships, faced with nearly double their numbers, were getting pounded hard despite the support from air and battlecruisers. Several battleships were sunk in the first few minutes but, thankfully, the enemy dreadnoughts were in too tight a formation to make effective use of their guns. The Saxony battleships were given orders by the admiral of Crimean fleet to hang back while they take on the enemy. The reasoning was that the Mughals needed some capital ships still capable of battle to escort their soldiers across the Channel onto the beachhead they secured earlier. The battle raged on with both sides taking heavy casualties. The Mughals fleets only had thirty or so battleships left while the enemy still seemed to have half of their ships which was roughly eighty dreadnoughts. The battlecruisers at the flanks were supporting but some dreadnoughts would turn their sights on them seeing several of the less heavily armored ships sinking following a few concentrated volleys. The battlecruisers were forced to disengage before they suffered further casualties but, out of the sixty five battlecruisers that joined the battle, twenty five were sunk with an additional ten sailed back to friendly port for major repairs. The MAF continued to perform bombings runs until they needed to refuel and rearm which, thanks to the carriers, was a quicker process. The British, lacking fast ships to attack the carriers, could do little to fend off the enemy bombers now that their thirty new dreadnoughts were at the sea floor.

blklizard · Dec 11, 2014

Chapter 199 (1906 [Part 5])

European Frontier

Celtic Sea

The great naval battle raged on with both sides suffering considerable amount of losses. The British RN has lost half their dreadnought while the Mughals and Saxony lost nearly the same number of ships in battleships and battlecruisers. Neither side could withdraw without suffering further casualties which saw the two sides forced to remain engaged. The Mughals battleships were taking the biggest beating seeing most of them very battered from enemy fire. Several were taking in water while a few others lost their guns in the engagement. With the British still having a sizable dreadnought fleet, it looked as though the Mughals capital ships simply couldn't handle anymore hits. The battlecruisers had to withdraw following concentrated fire from the enemy and their lack of presence in the battle was hurting the Mughals. The MAF torpedo bombers continued their bombing runs to help wither down the enemy numbers while the carriers had to reposition further from the battle when the captains saw their center, controlled by their battleships, slowly crumbling under pressure. The British seemed destined to win the naval engagement until the arrival of reinforcements from the east. The MAF bombers that participated in bombing London has been redirected to the naval battle to help alleviate the pressure. Despite not armed with torpedoes, the pilots had confidence that their bombs from above should be plenty of firepower against enemy dreadnoughts. These bombers moved into formations preparing a carpet bombing over the vicinity of the enemy.

The torpedo bombers performed their run seeing their torpedoes sinking a few more dreadnoughts. As they flew past the dreadnought fleet, the pilots noticed incoming bombers flying at medium altitude. Headquarters relayed orders for them to return to carriers until the incoming bombers finished their mission. The torpedo bombers would return to the carriers for minor repairs, refuel and rearm while the pilots watched as the new arrivals perform their bombing run. There were roughly a hundred bombers in the air and it was quite a sight. With careful coordination, the bombers let loose their explosives on the helpless dreadnoughts below. Following the first wave, many dreadnoughts were set aflame after several explosives hitting them. Even the explosives that missed the ships exploded on impact with the water resulting in damaging nearby ship hulls. The bombers would return for a second wave and, this time, they would sink half of the remaining dreadnoughts. The constant fire from battleships and battlecruisers earlier has really weakened the hull armor of these dreadnought making them very susceptible to the explosives released by the bombers. Unlike the torpedoes where only one hit a target, these explosives often overlapped amplifying their damage and, against a battered hull, they did quick work ripping the dreadnoughts apart. The bombers in the air would perform their third run that saw them sinking the last of the dreadnoughts in the British RN. The bombers would head home after a successful bombing run achieving a decisive victory in the Celtic Sea.

During the bombing runs, the dreadnoughts still continued laying down fire on Mughals battleships seeing them sink twenty more battleships before their demise. The battle basically cripple the RN that had only a few ships remaining in needs of repair. Great Britain was no longer the naval power it once boasted to be following their major defeats which left their Isles vulnerable to enemy attack. The Mughals suffered heavy losses that would take a few years to recover from. Since the start of the naval engagements, the Mughals have lost a total of ninety five battleships, twenty nine battlecruisers, twenty MTBs and two heavy cruisers. These didn't include the ships desperately in needs of repairs but those ships would return to action a lot fast than the time needed for newly built ships to be operational. As for the British RN, their losses seemed significantly higher with two hundred twenty four dreadnoughts sunk and three dreadnoughts captured by the enemy. The defeat for the British attributed largely to their outdated ships that allowed the Mughals to use their air support to have a major impact on the battlefield with impunity. Had more dreadnoughts been armed with anti-air weapons, the Mughals and Saxony fleets would most likely had lost the naval engagements. Thanks to enemy air superiority, the British RN has been rendered harmless allowing the Mughals to take control of the English Channel paving the way for the invasion of the British Isles. Since the last naval battle in the Celtic Sea concluded mid-December of 1906, the Mughals would begin their invasion after the New Years.

European Frontier

blklizard · Dec 12, 2014

Chapter 200 (1907)

European Frontier

British Isles

During January of 1907, large masses of Mughals transports sailed across the Channel with the Saxony Battleships as their escorts. The British RN no longer had the ships to intercept the transports while their fighters were suppressed by MAF fighters that flew above southern Britain. The transports reached the secured beachhead unloading all the infantry and tanks as the Mughals prepared for the invasion of Great Britain. The toughest task, unloading troops onto the Isles, was accomplished with many losses due to the naval battles but the sacrifices weren't in vain. Ten Mughals armies, up to two million soldiers, along with several armored divisions, with a few consisting of the new heavy tanks like Tiger and IS2, would be part of the invasion force. While the transports unloaded their cargoes, bombers on nearby carriers took to the skies flying towards London. The MAF fighters that were suppressing enemy fighters would move to protect the bombers. The bombers were expected to begin their bombing runs to soften up the targets in London which would be followed up by the fast armored divisions like Panzer IV and T-34. The bombers would rain hell onto London below while the garrison and civilians were helpless. Many sections of the city were set aflame as many ran for the bomb shelters that were getting filled up quickly. The armored divisions were already set in motion towards motion while several Mughals armies began their march. Meanwhile, the remainder forces would head north and west so they could occupy more of southern Britain. An hour later, the transports were unloaded and began making their way to northern France under the escort of the Saxony battleships.

T-34s would arrive at London first and, to their surprise, the local garrison was already surrendering. After some questioning, it was learned that the British monarch and his subjects have already abandoned the Isles as they headed westwards to the New World. The garrison was meant as a deception so the Mughals assumed that the British would continue fighting. Those that remained as garrison had no intention on throwing away their lives for a leader that abandoned them. Of course, they were already demoralized by the naval defeats and reports of large enemy forces that landed on the Isles. Like the garrison in London, the Mughals encountered similar situations elsewhere in southern Britain seeing all the soldiers put down their weapons. Truth be told, there weren't many soldiers left since those remained were those that couldn't be filled onto the limited numbers of transports. Southern Britain was occupied within two months seeing no resistance. The Mughals would keep pushing north only to encounter the same lack of resistance. Those that were left behind on the Isles have lost their will to fight. Great Britain was under Mughals occupation in five months seeing no shots fired except for the earlier bombing run by MAF bombers. Once Great Britain was under occupation, the Mughals could turn their attention on Wales and Ireland that had attacked them the previous year.

The Welsh were willing to resist against the Mughals but their forces could do little. Mughals heavy armored divisions, Tiger and IS2, would move in unaffected by the anti-tank weapons. The IS2 acted as the spearhead while the Tiger shot from afar with deadly accuracy. With the support of infantry, Wales was captured in a month with the Mughals annexing them. Then, they would set their eyes on Ireland. The escorts waiting at Northern France would be escorted to the coast of former Wales where they picked up only half the forces to invade Ireland. Receiving reports that the beach was heavily defended, the Mughals sent their bombers to clear the way for their forces. MAF bombers would perform their bombing run with impunity as they combed every inch of the beach. The dug in Irish soldiers, under heavy fire, were forced to withdraw or suffer complete annihilation. The Mughals transports would use the opportunity of Irisih soldiers withdrawing to land troops on the beach and, an hour later, the beachhead was secured. Like the Wales, the Irish could do little to fend back the invasion. Their towns and cities fell one after another following bombing runs and armored division spearheads. Ireland required three months to capture and, like Wales, they were annexed. The British Isles have come completely under Mughals control seeing Europe removed of enemy presence. Sadly, the enemy still refused peace talks meaning the Mughals were forced to attack the New World.

When all of British Isles was under Mughals control, the Mughals generals were horrified at the conditions the British lived under. Most of the civilians lived in complete poverty struggling to get by everyday. The British monarch has apparently implemented some very harsh taxes to continue the war effort and his people suffered for it. With the taxes, the British RAF was born along with several tank designs, a few of which were captured during the occupation. One of the designs that caught the Mughals generals' eyes was the British tank, Comet. This tank had a max speed of 51 km/hr while armed with a 77mm HV that can penetrate all but the thickest armor. The Comet would eventually be in the production queue of the Mughals factories given its well thought out design. As for the civilians, food and supplies were sent across the Channel where the soldiers would distribute among the poor. All the British, Welsh and Irish people were exempt from any taxes until their economy recovered which required a few years. Much of the infrastructure was in disrepair which required plenty of investments and manpower. Promising good pay, many British people were willing to help rebuild the infrastructure seeing many roads and railroads constructed. In addition, the Mughals would utilize the abandoned shipyards in the British Isles to help speed up their naval production. Attacking the British Isles required a major navy as they will be faced with both the Spanish Armada and the Brittany RN.

European Frontier

blklizard · Dec 15, 2014

Chapter 201 (1908 [Part 1])

South American Frontier

Brazil

Taking control of the British Isles was an incredible victory for the Mughals who were known only for their nearly invincible armies. The Mughals were known for their land dominance as they crushed one enemy after another. Their expansion would bring them to Europe where they would meet fierce and worthy foes. Securing mainland Europe was seen as a great turnaround considering the unfavorable start to the war. Hoping to end the war, new shipyards were built so the Mughals navy can be born. By building a navy that could challenge the British RN, the Mughals have risen up as one of the dominant sea powers entering the twentieth century. Alone in their defense of their homeland, the British RN was defeated which allowed Mughals troops to land on British soil. Soon after, the British Isles belonged to the Mughals. However, the war, unlike what the Mughals government hoped for, was far from over as the enemies of Mughals refused to talk peace. The leaders of France, Spain and Great Britain fled to the New World where they believed they would be safe. The war has already devastated many regions and prolonging it wouldn't help anyone. Sadly, the reasoning fell on deaf ears forcing the Mughals to act. Thus, the mighty nation must send soldiers across the oceans to a land they have only heard of in books. A land called the New World where a landmass that was greater than that of Europe existed. There was no reason for the Mughals to doubt these were facts but accepting it still took time.

Having spent centuries fighting in Asia and, eventually, Europe, the Mughals empire has stretch far and wide allowing its people to boast that the dream of Timurids have indeed came true. Timurids, the great ruler that started a mighty nation in Asia where one only answered to gold and steel, had a dream that his future descendants may restore the Mongol Empire. He had a great dream that many scoffed at. Timurids was lame which, in the eyes of the warriors, was a sign of weakness. He would prove them wrong by fending off dangerous neighbors, one of which was the Golden Horde. He expanded steadily and built the foundation that his descendants would need to create a mighty empire. Unforeseen circumstance has resulted in the Mughals empire but this empire's territory and conquests weren't inferior to those of the Mongol Empire. If anything, it was greater in so many ways. Timurids, like all those that lived during his era, never thought another landmass existed across the waters. Entering the twentieth century, the Mughals would begin an invasion of this new landmass. World War I must end and, to do so, Mughals soldiers would venture far from home deep into enemy territory. Previously, the war was limited to Asia, Africa and Europe. Now, it was about to include the Americas and Oceania. The Mughals government knew many more lives would be lost in the conflict but they promised their brave soldiers that their sacrifices won't be in vain.

The Mughals government took a gambit in 1908 when they purposely leaked information to the enemy. The leaked information suggested that Mughals and Saxony navies would be capturing Iceland and Greenland so they can use those as bases to launch an attack on North America. With a smaller presence in those areas, the information definitely seemed feasible that had those in North America rushing to put a stop to the plan. Brittany RN and Spanish Armada were sent out to Greenland where they would patrol the area regularly for enemy ships. Iceland was a much more difficult location to protect due to the small ports there. There were sightings of Mughals heavy cruisers but the actual Mughals fleet never materialized. Seeing enemy ships focused on the area, the Mughals government realized that their gambit has succeeded. Their Scandinavian and Crimean Fleets still needed a few years before they could take on the enemy fleets head on. Leaking the information distracted the enemy so the Mughals real plan could take place. The plan was daring seeing several unescorted transports sailing across the Atlantic to, not North America, but South America. With enemy main defenses in the north, the Mughals hoped to get a solid foothold in the south allowing them to spring a large scale invasion. This plan wouldn't have worked had the Mughals government not engage in diplomacy with a few of the South American nations. After much negotiations, the plan to invade South America has materialized seeing the first phase in action.

Three Mughals armies were loaded onto transports in Gibraltar where they would head south along the west coast of Africa. Once the transports reached Cape Verde, they changed course for the southwestern direction and the journey of the soldiers to the New World has begun. The journey across the Atlantic lasted a few months and, despite encountering many storms along the way, the transports arrived off the coast of South America without any losses. Due to some navigation errors, the transports arrived north of their destination off the coast of British territory which wasn't part of the plan. While no British ships were there to intercept them immediately, British patrols on land spotted them and relayed their position to headquarters. Soon, British dreadnoughts were spotted to leave the dock ready to hunt down the transports. The transports normally traveled faster than dreadnoughts but the many storms have left them battered and performing at less optimal levels. Seeing the dreadnoughts would be within range to fire upon them, the admiral of the transport fleet ordered an emergency docking to Salvador. Salvador was a Brazilian port that has remained neutral in the war. Mughals and Brazil have been trading partners seeing a good relationships between the two nations. The previous destination was a Brazilian port and the admiral had hoped that they would remain undetected as they approached South America. Alerting the British was an unexpected setback but the transports would enter Salvador before the dreadnoughts could get in range.

The men above the British dreadnoughts saw the Mughals transports entering Salvador and immediately relayed the information to headquarter. They were hesitant to enter Brazilian waters fearing unnecessary conflicts. The information was then relayed to the British monarch who resided in North America. The monarch called the ambassador of the British embassy in Brazil so that an ultimatum was sent to the Brazilian government to hand over the Mughals soldiers. The ambassador did as he was told but he was arrested by Brazilian officers who escorted him to a prison where he would remain for the next few days. A secret alliances have been agreed upon under the table between the Mughals and Brazil but Brazil wasn't supposed to enter the war this early in the invasion of South America. Seeing the ultimatum, the Brazilian government knew that they had to join the war either war. With the Mughals generals, they spent several days setting up defenses along with Brazilian borders that shared with British and Spain. Hours before the deadline for the ultimatum passed, the British ambassador was released from his prison and escorted across the border to British territory with the message that Brazil chose war. Brazil has entered the war on the side of the Mughals and it didn't take long for British dreadnoughts to move in range to bombard her coastal cities. The first conflict in South America has begun as the Mughals began their invasion of the continent. Spanish and British forces in the region were alerted of the development seeing them march towards Brazil. Grueling battles would soon occur along the borders.

blklizard · Dec 18, 2014

Chapter 202 (1908 [Part 2])

South American Frontier

Brazil

Brazil wasn't in an ideal situation by sharing three borders with the enemy along with a coast. Defending against the British will be the priority given that two of the borders were shared with Great Britain. Luckily, one border acted like a choke point that, while easy to defend, will tie up troops. The border with Spain was small as well leaving the coast and the other border with Great Britain the toughest to defend. The Brazilian generals notified Mughals generals that they had enough troops to hold the enemy at the Brazilian-Spanish border and the border acting as choke point. The Mughals soldiers would be needed at the main border with Great Britain while Brazilian navy would deal with the naval threat. On the naval front, the defenders did have an advantage as most of the enemy ships have been situated around Greenland. They would require time to reach South America which would be a huge dilemma for the enemy. A small navy wouldn't be enough to be effective while sending a large navy would significantly weaken their presence at Greenland. Great Britain, following their horrific losses in Europe, still needed time to rebuild their navy but, with the shipbuilding industry in the New World relatively undeveloped, that would take a decade, if not more. Few days after Brazil declared war, Mughals heavy cruisers reported that a large portion of enemy ships in the Greenland region have began moving southwards towards South America. The Brazilian navy was relayed the information as the Brazilian admiral prepared for the upcoming battle against the enemy.

At the time when Brazil declared war, their action completely caught the British and Spanish off guard. The South American nations were quite weak which made it seem impossible they would rise up. Some of these nations have fought for their independence while their former overlords were busy fighting the Mughals. With men and resources tied up in the major conflict in Europe and Asia, the overlords eventually granted these small nations independence with the intentions of retaking the land once they finished the war with the Mughals. The government of the South American nations were aware of that and they were actively making deals with the Mughals. In a way, the Mughals have helped them achieve their independence and, with the end of the war nowhere in sight, the alliances were struck. Brazil would be the first nation to enter the way alongside the Mughals on rather unexpected circumstances. However, their participation was already contributing to the war effort by splitting up enemy fleet that was patrolling the Greenland region. The split between the forces would benefit the Mughals in more ways than one but, at the time, the situation looked dire for the troops in Brazil. A large fleet was heading directly at them while enemy reinforcements were expected to arrive off the coast of South America soon. While the borders were relatively quiet at the earlier stages, many knew that intense fighting would soon take place.

As mentioned earlier, the British and Spanish were so unprepared for the war so close to their second home that they didn't position many soldiers in South America which proved to be a costly mistake. Instead of using numbers to get ideal positioning, the local forces couldn't mount any sort of serious offensives allowing the enemy to dig in at defensive locations. The few ships in the region were only meant to patrol the waters for pirates. They weren't built to engage a professional navy which the Brazilians built. The Mughals provided Brazil with many of their designs seeing the Brazilian fleet consist of twenty battleships, five battlecruiser and ten MTBs. Brazil also had a few fighters, roughly twenty, waiting on standby to aid the fleet when necessary. The three Mughals armies have already dug into their position. The transports were unable to bring any tanks which forced the soldiers to bring many anti-tank weapons to deal with enemy armored divisions. Luckily, the Brazilian army had a few tanks which they built using the designs offered by the Mughals. They had a few T-34 armored divisions that were waiting in the back to help plug holes if the enemy does mount several spearheads. Minor modifications were made to these T-34s so they could operate more effectively on the terrain in Brazil that differed somewhat from the terrain in Europe. The defenders felt they were ready as they waited patiently for the arrival of the enemy's main forces.

North Atlantic Ocean

The fleets that left the Greenland region would make a B-line straight for northeast South America. The admirals were given orders to force Brazil into capitulation quickly so they would remove the threat so close to their new headquarters. The fleets were moving at full speed unaware of a new surprise set up by the Mughals. The Mughals Crimean Fleet has been roaming the area testing out a new invention. The admiral of the Crimean Fleet anticipated the enemy to move directly for Brazil which gave him time to set up a "safe" zone as many would call later. The Crimean Fleet would pull out so they wouldn't alarm the enemy of the surprises while Mughals heavy cruisers kept the enemy in sight as they remained far enough to outrun the enemy. The enemy fleets didn't pay the heavy cruisers any attention thinking that the purpose of those ships were to distract them from their main objective. The real purpose of the heavy cruisers, however, was to report back the results of the new invention once the enemy fleet entered the "safe" zone. The outcome of the battles in South America would rely heavily on the successes of the invention. The Mughals headquarters in Lisbon was tense while they were relayed the progress of the enemy fleets. They knew that the fleets were closing in and they waited patiently for the up-to-the-minute report. A minute before the enemy fleets entered the "safe" zone, there was only silence both at the headquarters and aboard the heavy cruisers as everyone waited tensely for what was about to happen.

The enemy fleets still moved at full speed and their sailors realized that enemy heavy cruisers have stopped moving. This may seem a little odd but most thought that the heavy cruisers were given orders to cease their pursuit and return to base. A minute later, all hell would break loose when several of the ships at the head were rocking back and forth with smoke coming out. Moments later, there were several explosions seeing a few dreadnoughts sinking. Meanwhile, the fleets in the back continued to advance forward unaware what was taking place up ahead. As more ships began to sink, the enemy admirals realized that something was wrong and immediately called their ships to withdraw. They saw their ships sinking left and right but no enemy ships were in sight. The fleets were ordered to change course but they were encountering similar explosions as they turned that would sink more dreadnoughts. Chaos would ensue seeing the many ships stop moving while some kept moving until they too sunk to the sea floor. Unknown to the enemy admirals, the Mughals have developed a naval mine that isn't that different from land mines. By anticipating their route, the naval mines were planted in advance and they were designed to eat through the dreadnought lower hull that was the least protected. The mines were difficult to spot as they were just below the surface and the enemy fleets moved right into them. By the time the admirals called for a withdrawal, their ships were already too far into the "safe" zone seeing them trapped unless they moved out exactly the way they entered.

blklizard · Dec 19, 2014

Chapter 203 (1908 [Part 3])

European Frontier

Lisbon

The fleets that entered the "safe" zone were decimated. The gamble for the Mughals have pulled off after much hard work by the Crimean Fleet. The crews aboard the ships worked tirelessly to set up the mine field which yielded the best case scenario. The reinforcing enemy fleets have been put out of commission which would greatly alleviate the pressure in South America. With nearly half the enemy ships eliminated, the Mughals could also gain a major edge in naval warfare knowing full well that, other than Brittany, their enemy's naval capacity in rebuilding their ships was basically nonexistent. The mines were a total success in that they killed two birds with one stone. Once the major victory was relayed to headquarters in Lisbon, the small fleet docked there was given the orders to move out to reinforce South America. The entire Saxony fleet would be escorting large numbers of transports carrying four hundred thousand men along with two armored divisions, one with IS2 tanks and the other with Tiger tanks. Meanwhile, more false information were leaked about the possible attack on Greenland. The Mughals knew that the enemy must have learned of the disaster in North Atlantic which would no doubt be a great blow to their morale. With fewer ships at their disposal, they must decide between South America or Greenland. Knowing full well that the enemy valued North American more due to Brittany capital and the new British capital located in the north, they would be deceived by the false information. As a backup plan, the Scandinavian and Crimean Fleets were put on standby with several transports. If the enemy do move their fleets from the Greenland region, the Mughals would capitalize by taking Greenland to set up an invasion of North America.

North American Frontier

Greenland

The admirals stationed at Greenland soon learned of the terrible tragedy. They never expected the Mughals to invent such devastating weapons but they knew it was too late to have regrets. They were somewhat divided on their next move. Some argued to stay at Greenland to prevent the Mughals from capturing the bases which they would use to leapfrog to North America. Others suggested that they needed to crush the Mughals forces in South America before it got out of hand. When information about Mughals preparing an attack on Greenland, the admirals decided that they must stay at Greenland to defend it. They didn't know if it was true or not but letting the Mughals gain a backdoor to their main main bases would be problematic. Thus, they relayed their thoughts to headquarters in North America receiving nods of approval from the monarchs. The soldiers in South America will still be reinforced but the naval support they have been expecting won't be arriving. The admirals received news that Mughals heavy cruisers were scouting in the distance but they lacked the fast ships to catch them. While the admirals were waiting patiently, the infantry that were unloaded onto Greenland were already busy strengthening local fortifications to make the naval bases nearly impregnable to Mughals assaults. Once the fortifications were finished, the fleets would be free to aid South America.

South American Frontier

South America

The defending forces had nothing to do as the invading force never materialized. Their intelligence reported that enemy forces in the region would pose some threat but, as yet, they haven't seen any. The Brazilian fleet was waiting in port fearing a surprise attack by the enemy naval fleets. News would arrive about the great victory in North Atlantic Ocean seeing the reinforcing enemy fleets no long threatening the region. The news allowed the Brazilian admiral to breath a sigh of relief. He knew that his ships wouldn't be facing any dangerous fleet in the vicinity giving him the courage to ask headquarters for permission to strike. The admiral received a yes seeing his fleet moving out immediately. They would head north and swing west where they expected enemy transports to arrive. Hours later, several lightly guarded British transports were spotted making their way to South American coast. There were only three dreadnoughts with the fleet which stood little chance against the Brazilian fleet. The admiral ordered all ships to focus on the dreadnoughts which resulted in a quick victory in half an hour. Then, they sunk the transports which were estimated to carry two hundred thousand soldiers. The Brazilian fleet would continue hunting along the South American coast until they reached the Caribbean Sea. Many more British transports, some of which weren't even escorted, were sunk raising estimates of British casualties up to two million. The Brazilian would return home for repairs before resuming their hunt but the British had ceased the transportation of their soldiers with no escorts.

While the Brazilian fleet was encountering many small victories, the armies remained in place seeing no action whatsoever. The Brazilian soldiers were restless asking headquarters for permission to strike but they continuously received no as the answer. The Mughals infantry, veterans in battles, weren't bothered with the lack of action but the lack of enemies did seem a little alarming. Soon, they would learn of new developments in the west. Paraguay (light green nation west of Brazil in central South America) has declared war on Spain which also meant they were at war with Great Britain, Brittany and France. Paraguay, like Brazil, has struck a secret alliance with the Mughals as they were willing to retake South America for themselves. Like Brazil, the Paraguayan government weren't going to declare war yet. Even when Brazil entered the war, the government still remained neutral waiting for a more opportune moment to strike. However, their location in central South America would pose a problem for their neutrality. Paraguay bordered four nations: Brazil, Spain, France and Portugal. The Spanish navy lacked ships to escort their troops to fight in Brazil which left them with the option of marching their soldiers to the designated target. However, Portugal, following their defeat at the hands of the Mughals, were content with their territory in South America. The Portuguese saw the side they once joined losing and didn't want to get involved seeing them deny military access to Span.

Without Portugal granting them military access, the Spanish monarch demanded access from Paraguay with the threat of war. The Paraguay would have granted the military access so Spanish soldiers could die en mass fighting the Mughals had several border incidents didn't happen. Paraguay was the largest South American nation and was considered a major power. Thus, the Paraguayan government expected some respect from even the likes of Spain. However, the Spanish soldiers, before the military access was agreed upon, were forcing their way in which saw a few minor firefights resulting in some casualties on both sides. The Spanish monarch not only didn't apologize for the incident but demanded an open apology from the Paraguayan government along with large compensation that could easily rival war reparation. There was a limit to which the Paraguayan government could be humiliated before fighting back and the Spanish monarch's demand for compensation was the straw that broke the camel's back. The Paraguayan government declared war and their soldiers opened fire on the unprepared Spanish troops at the border. Paraguay has made many preparations along their borders and, the moment war was declared, their soldiers advanced forward into Spanish and French territory. The Mughals generals, upon learning the development, began their advance into British territory knowing full well that the Spanish will be very occupied which protected their flanks and rear.

blklizard · Dec 20, 2014

Chapter 204 (1908 [Part 4])

South American Frontier

South America

Paraguayan forces advanced into Spanish territory encountering very little resistance. The Spanish armies in South America, unlike those that fought in Iberia, were poorly trained with low discipline due to being new recruits that never participated in any campaigns before the war. It didn't help the Spanish that their generals were new to war and their inexperience was costing them the battles. The Spanish armies were encircled and eliminated one by one as the Paraguayan forces attacked with ferocity and precision. Paraguay would not be alone in the fight as their participation also brought in Colombia and Argentina, two South American nations that have suffered the oppression of the Spanish and Portuguese for far too long. Along with the Mughals and Brazilian forces, their forces made it so the enemy forces in South America stood little chance. While Paraguayan, Argentinian and Colombian forces worked to occupy all of Spanish holdings in South America, Mughals and Brazilian forces were focused on the British territory which was more lightly guarded than expected. The local garrison were poorly armed and, against professional and seasoned soldiers like those in the Mughals armies, they crumbled under pressure seeing them routing upon seeing the enemy. The British South American holdings would eventually be completely under occupation before the New Years seeing a considerable amount of tax base for the British removed. The loss of the extra income would hurt the British greatly in continuing the funding of their war efforts. Meanwhile, the Brazilian and Colombian navy has achieved dominance of the South American coast allowing them to provide support for attacks on coastal cities and towns.

The French monarch has evacuated to South American following the Saxony army advanced into French territory where he though it would be safe from the Mughals. He was wrong and, during the Paraguayan advance into French holdings in South America, he failed to evade capture. The capture of the French monarch could finally allow the Mughals to negotiate a peace deal with the French. The monarch was handed over to Mughals authority which saw him forced to sign a peace treaty on the terms of the Mughals given how much trouble he gave them by fleeing. The peace deal would see France ceding all of its territory in Europe along with their few holdings in South America. The French capital would be moved to Halifax in North America. Finally, France would annul all treaties with Great Britain and Brittany. The French monarch had no choice but to agree to the terms. Once the treaty was officialized, the monarch was loaded onto a British passenger vessel to North America where he would rule his few remaining holdings in North America. The French territory in Europe would be split amongst the Mughals and Saxony seeing the Northern France given to Saxony. This act of good will was due to the Saxony general managing to hold onto Paris until the counteroffensive took place. Northern France was a relatively wealthy region which would help Saxony recover much quicker from the devastation they suffered from war. As for the French South American holdings, all of it would be given to Paraguay who contributed the most in the capture of the French monarch.

European Frontier

South American Frontier

blklizard · Dec 21, 2014

Chapter 205 (1909)

South American Frontier

South America

The reinforcements from Lisbon arrive in Brazil but they were late to the party. By March, all of Spain's South American possessions were occupied including their capital which was located in Cuzco. The Spanish monarch, like his French counterpart, was also captured during the attack and handed over to Mughals authorities. He would be forced to sign a peace treaty wrote up by the Mughals before he, too, was deported to North America. The price Spain paid, however, was considerably higher with all of their South American holdings, along with the land of their vassals, ceded to the Mughals and Latin American nations. Spanish territory in the Iberian Peninsula would be completely under Mughals control allowing the great empire to pretty much unite the region. This also eliminate the presence of another European power that has been influencing European affairs for centuries. As for South America, Spanish territory was split between Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil and Argentina. The disputes of the land would take several months but the four Latin American nations would eventually come to an agreement. Once the land was divided up, there would be one less non-Latin American nation in South America. While the British territory in the continent were occupied, the British monarch still refused to talk peace. The monarch actually sent a message to the Mughals Doge that, if the Mughals wanted peace, they will have to force him like what the empire did with the French and Spanish monarch. After reaching the message, the Doge ordered his general to send more troops to South America so they could begin their attack on North America.

European Frontier

Gibraltar

As soon as Mughals generals received word from the Doge to send more soldiers, they immediately got to work. Five more Mughals armies along with several armored divisions were loaded onto transports. The fleet escorting the transports would a newly created fleet called the Iberian Fleet. The fleet consisted of fifty battleships and twenty battlecruisers along with a dozen or so submarines. The battleships and the battlecruisers would provide the main firepower against enemy ships while the submarines were meant to act as scout without alerting the enemy of their position. The engines of these battleships were upgraded so that they could keep up with the transports which meant they won't be slowing the fleet down. Most of these ships were actually built in Italy and Damascus shipyards and assigned to the shipyards in former Portugal for upgrades and future repairs. The Mughals felt the escort had plenty of firepower to deal with any problems they would be facing as the transports crossed the Atlantic. Of course, the generals were aware of the large enemy fleet that was still stationed in Greenland or, according to the newest intelligence, was stationed at Greenland. Heavy cruisers in the region reported that the enemy fleets have began pulling out of the Greenland which was to be expected following the fall of Spain. However, allowing the enemy fleets to move into friendly territory where they have air support would be a terrible mistake. Thus, the Mughals generals in Iberia immediately set up a call with the admirals of the Scandinavian and Crimean Fleet, both of which have been rebuilt and ready for action.

Ireland

Both the Scandinavian and Crimean Fleet were rebuilt since their showdown with the British RN that concluded with the great victory. The Scandinavian Fleet now consisted of sixty battleships, thirty battlecruisers and twenty submarines while the Crimean Fleet had fifty battleships, fifty battlecruisers and thirty submarines. The new engine upgrade for the battleships meant that capital ships could somewhat keep up with the battlecruisers. The fact that battlecruisers were still cheaper to build, thus less construction time, made them still a viable choice. As for MTBs and heavy cruisers, they would be replaced by the submarines that could stay hidden, do reconnaissance and fire torpedoes at the enemy. To make these submarines even more dangerous, each of them carried five naval mines which they could deploy while remaining underwater. The admirals of the two fleets were getting restless upon learning that the enemy fleets were on the move. The losses to the naval mines have hurt the enemy naval strength considerably. The two admirals wanted to act and, when they received the call, they immediately agreed. The two fleets would be moving out of the docks shortly with all the personnel already put on standby. The two fleets headed out in September with the objective of intercepting the enemy fleets. Mughals heavy cruisers were tailing the enemy fleets reporting to the two admirals the location of their enemy. Because the dreadnoughts were still slow, the enemy fleets were moving at a snail pace compared to the Mughals fleets which would soon prove to be their downfall.

European Frontier

South American Frontier

blklizard · Dec 22, 2014

Chapter 206 (1910)

North American Frontier

North America

The Portuguese have granted the Mughals military access through their land. The military access would allow the Mughals forces in South America to reach their enemy by land. This would be a huge advantage for the Mughals who simply didn't have enough transports for all of the men that were already in South America. The transports, along with the Saxony fleet, have already began their journey home upon learning the military access has been granted. Mughals forces would march through occupied British provinces into Colombian territory before they reach Portuguese territory. In Central America, there were a few British provinces that would be occupied as the Mughals forces passed by. The Mughals armored divisions would arrive at the Portuguese-British border first where they would lie in wait for the armies to arrive. The march from northern South America would take a few months but, by September, the Mughals armies have arrived at the front lines. The enemy, upon learning Portugal granting the military access, knew that the Mughals would arrive by land sooner or later. Thus, they positioned their main forces along the border preparing for the enemy offensive. While they denounced the Portuguese for what they saw as a betrayal, they were powerless to stop Portugal who was in a better state than them. The Portuguese monarch, realizing the situation developing in the New World, decided to declare war on Spain. Brittany, Great Britain and France all dishonored their alliance leaving Spain alone in fending off the Portuguese. Battered and still recovering, Spain stood little chance against Portugal.

The Mughals weren't particularly happy with Portugal using the opportunity to show aggression towards Spain. However, they had their own problems to deal with as their enemy waited at the border. The armored divisions were sent in first which the enemy responded with their own armored divisions. Luckily for the Mughals, the Brittany armored divisions only consisted of M4 Sherman tanks which were vastly inferior to the IS2s and Tigers. Following a small engagement, the Brittany armored division was forced to withdraw but, in doing so, they allowed the enemy armored divisions to spearhead into their defenses creating a gap. While the enemy was busy filling the gap, a few more Mughals armored divisions would penetrate through the defenses elsewhere disrupting the entire defensive line. The defensive line would crumble once Mughals infantry joined into the chaos. The last line of defense by Brittany and Great Britain has been bested by the Mughals which saw the outcome of the war decided. However, both the Brittany and British monarchs wanted to resist to the end with the hope that they could still win. Winter was arriving soon and, knowing that the enemy was geared up for South American climate, both the Brittany and British generals were confident that the Mughals advance would be halted. As they suspected, the Mughals weren't prepared for the winter and their entire advanced ground to a stop. The Mughals soldiers were forced to set up a defensive line as they waited for the winter to pass. Because their enemy has suffered heavy casualties in the months before, they had the capability of handling whatever the enemy can throw at them.

Meanwhile, Portugal has won a total victory over their long time rival, Spain. The two nations have enjoyed good relations but, in a world where only the strongest survive, the Portuguese monarch knew that he needed to strengthen his nation to prepare for any future wars. The monarch was delighted to hear that the Mughals advance was halted but he wisely kept his thoughts to himself. With Spain under his control, the monarch just needed to wait for the capture of the Spanish monarch. By November, the Spanish monarch was brought before the Portuguese court where he would sign his last treaty. All of Spain's North American possession would belong to Portugal and the crown of Spain would transfer over to the Portuguese monarch. Once the treaty was done, the Spanish monarch was executed for fear of him trying to rally his supporters against Portugal. Spain would be completely wiped out which saddened the Mughals Doge. He had wanted to keep balance of power in North America but Portugal hasn't been cooperating. With the recent military access, he couldn't take any military action without hurting his reputation. The Doge hoped that Portugal would be content with their rule in North America and prayed that the nation wouldn't be foolish enough to start a new war with the Mughals. Once the British and Breton capitals were taken, the First World War would finally end. Sadly, a winter has halted the Mughals advance delaying the war for a couple of months. The Doge was getting old and, for a long time, he longed for a time of peace when the people in his nation would thrive and prosper.

The Scandinavian and Crimean fleets moved swiftly towards the enemy fleets. The enemy admirals were so used to Mughals heavy cruisers following them that they didn't suspect anything of the ships except for a minor annoyance. Thus, the fleets weren't prepared for the incoming attack that would begin. Mughals submarines have already moved ahead of the enemy ships where they laid down a small mine field in their path. The submarines would back off to reunite with the main fleets which were only an hour from reaching the enemy. The enemy fleets entered the mine field and several ships were sunk. The sudden explosions have put the fleets' advance on halt as the admirals and their men tried to figure out what happened. By halting, they gave the Mughals fleets plenty of time to catch up. Because they weren't prepared for the attack, the ships were sitting ducks making them easy targets once Mughals battlecruisers got within range. Opening fire in several deafening volleys, the battlecruisers would see several dreadnoughts hit the sea floor moments later. The enemy admirals immediately realized that they were under attack and gave orders to return fire. However, there were a few problems plaguing them. First, they haven't detonated all the mines seeing a few more dreadnought damaged or even sunk soon after. Secondly, their sterns were facing the enemy and turning around required time. During the turn, they were vulnerable to enemy bombardment seeing several more ships sunk. By the time the fleets were ready for battle, the enemy has lost three quarter of their ships with the remainder damaged at different severity. The naval battle would last a few more minutes before all of the enemy ships were either sunk or captured.

The Mughals won a decisive victory that has given their complete naval supremacy over their enemy. The last hope for the enemy was lost with their navy gone. The news soon reached the British and Breton headquarters where they would alert the monarchs. Upon learning the news, the monarchs knew that they stood little chance against the Mughals once the winter was over. They had wanted to negotiate peace before then but they have foolish cut off all diplomatic channels with their enemy. Thus, they were stuck waiting for the Mughals to finish the war and dictate the terms of the peace deal. Meanwhile, the Mughals fleets headed to Greenland where the garrison simply surrendered. The garrison, despite having the fortifications built, lost hope when they realized that they were being abandoned on the island. Thus, they surrendered on the first opportunity giving the Mughals a launch pad for their ships. A few of the Mughals ships needed repairs which the shipyards in Greenland could offer. The garrison got to know the Mughals soldiers quite well before they parted and the Mughals admirals relayed message to the Doge that the people of Greenland wished to be part of the Mughals. With winter still going on, the two fleets remained docked as the men waited for spring. Once spring arrived, they would make the final push onto the enemy capitals and conclude the war once and for all. For most of these men, they missed home desperately and hoped to see their families in the following year.

North American Frontier

blklizard · Dec 23, 2014

Chapter 207 (1911)

North American Frontier

North America

Two weeks before winter officially ended in North America, the Scandinavian and Crimean Fleets moved out from Greenland heading for the New World. The fleets would move past Canadian territory without any problems. The Canadian government, following the the Mughals occupation of the British Isles, has agreed to a peace deal with them breaking their ties with the British. There has already been a division between the Canadians and British which seemed the most obvious in the war. Canadians participated in a few small campaigns but, overall, they chose to stay out to save their strength. With no navy to combat the two incoming fleets, the British and Breton coastal cities and towns could do little to protect themselves from the bombardment. The Mughals admirals weren't aiming to level the cities and towns to the ground but, rather, force the local garrison into submission. The garrisons, seeing the futility of continued resistance, would surrender. The Mughals armies, having survived the winters, would resume their attack on the rest of Great Britain and Brittany. The winter may have slowed their progress but it was too short for the enemy to strengthen their defenses. The Mughals made their way straight for the British and Breton capitals seeing them in occupation in May and June respectively. The occupation of the two capitals would signify the end of World War I bringing an end to the twenty two year old conflict.

Great Britain would be forced to give up all of their European holdings that was basically the British Isles and a single province in Iberia. The deal effectively removed all the nations that were at war with the Mughals from Europe completely. Like Spain, Great Britain got to give up their South American provinces which would be split between Colombia and Brazil. While the Paraguayan government weren't too happy that they didn't get anything, the Mughals Doge was form on keeping the balance of power in South America. Arguing against it would play Paraguay in a less than ideal situation seeing them agreeing to the Mughals decision. Brittany would only have to pay a hefty reparation for the damages they caused during their Indian campaigns. The reparations would take five years to pay off but, with the Breton industry least affected by the war, they could do so without being hindered in progressing forward. The peace deal was, in the opinion of some Mughals generals, too kind for Brittany. They tried to change the Doge's mind about putting in more severe measures to deter any future conflicts but the Doge chose to ignore them. These generals, most of which would retire the following year, had an uneasy feeling that Brittany might turn on them one day. However, the peace deal was signed and they couldn't do anything about it. While their forces were transported back to Europe, the generals would put together a series of reforms that would, during peace time, allow the Mughals industries to continue producing weapons and tanks, though at slower rate than wartime production. The generals hoped that the produced weapons won't be necessary but one can never be too careful.

European Frontier

North American Frontier

South American Frontier

blklizard · Dec 25, 2014

Chapter 208 (Epilogue)

The war was over and the Mughals, along with Saxony, were victorious. As the transports entered the ports of Lisbon, large crowds have already gathered at the port welcoming back the heroes. Many of those in the crowds were actually Portuguese people who have completely submitted to their new rulers. Low taxes for civilians and generous compensation for families affected by war have convinced these people that Mughals rule was much better than rule under the Portuguese monarch. The Mughals soldiers were touched by the crowds who cheered for them. After some difficulty, the soldiers finally arrived at the newly built railroads at Lisbon that connected the city to the rest of the empire. While they fought on, many projects were committed by the Mughals government to see railroads built across the entire empire connecting all the major cities. Anticipating the soldiers to be arriving soon, many trains were already stationed at the Lisbon station while soldiers were loaded onto them. The trains would travel across the Mughals empire delivering their passengers to their homes. While a large portion of the soldiers that went to the New World were from Europe, there was still a sizable number of soldiers from the Middle East and India. The latter would also be traveling on transports located off the coast of Italy that would sail through the Mediterranean to major ports. 1912 was the year when all the surviving soldiers were reunited with their families. Families that lost fathers and sons would not be grieving for the losses because the family members felt proud that they died for their nation. The Mughals and Saxony would enter a post-war era with nearly all factories halting their military production. The few that still worked were those assigned by the generals.

Greenland became a part of the Mughals empire seeing supplies and food delivered to the region. The population in this region was only a couple of thousand but most of them originated from Scandinavian lineages. The British forcibly took the region under their control seeing the locals under oppression until the arrival of the Mughals. New advances in the telephone allowed the newly liberated people to contact their families in Scandinavia resulting in many touching stories. As for those in former Spain, war has been considerably hard on the people who were stripped off their wealth when the Spanish monarch evacuated. It would take a few years before the entire Iberian Peninsula recovered from war but, under Mughals rule, they would live more content lives. Northern France also recovered quite slowly as the region was being demilitarized. The French have invested nearly all their ducats in building up a strong military but, in the process, slowed down the development of their cities. Basic things like proper sewage and decent infrastructure were overlooked which halted the development of the cities and resulted in widespread disease. Many efforts were done to contain the diseases while the Mughals officials worked to strike at the root of the problems. In addition, the local factories began to shift into consumer goods and the local wine industry was booming following the high demands for their goods. The British Isles would recover as well as many resources were invested in the region to bolster the local trade and production. More equality was introduced to the regions mentioned above giving ordinary civilians more opportunity for a better life.

Saxony has, by 1912, recovered from the war. They experienced a large population boom following new breakthroughs in medicine seeing a huge decrease in infant mortality along with higher life expectancy. New factories sprung up in all major German cities and new policies were introduced resulting in these factories producing some of the best items one could have. Big brand name items were created in Saxony and they became hot commodities in Mughals. Trade was striving between the two nations allowing wealth to spread to all classes. Mughals was entering a new golden age following the war. Like Saxony, she experienced huge population booms in all parts of the region. New schools were needed to keep the population literate while infrastructure were constantly maintained to keep up with the increasing number of cars on the road. A decade later, Mughals and Saxony, along with the Latin American nations and Tianwan, signed an agreement in protecting the environment. Their rapid advances were polluting the environment and the results were more disease and climate change. Through hard work and dedication of many people, industries in the nations above were more green. Saxony would be the first to launch an astronaut into space while the Chinese managed to land the first astronaut on the moon. While Saxony and Tianwan were busy with space exploration, the Mughals have focused on deep sea exploration learning of new species of fish and rare minerals found deep underwater. The newly discovered minerals would allow Mughals scientists to make enough progress in their space exploration that colonies were being set up on the moon itself. The three major nations were all racing to set up the first colony on Mars.

North America would suffer in the post-war era with Portugal being an aggressor once the Mughals exited the war. The joint coalition of the British and Breton resulted in a stalemate until the creation of nuclear bombs for both sides. North America would suffer horrific consequences when these weapons were detonated. North America would be covered in fallout making the region inhabitable. The survivors would migrate to South America to start new lives while the major nations, with the Mughals taking the lead, would ban nuclear weapons outright to prevent similar catastrophes on earth. It would take many more decades before North America can be resettled but, until then, no ships or personnel were allowed to be near the region. The people of Greenland were fortunate that they were far enough to not be affected. As for South America, major medical advances were made when the scientists there managed to create incredible medicine from specimens they gathered from the rainforest. Thus, Latin America would lead all advances in medicine and, should a disease outbreak happen, their doctors and scientists would always be consulted for a cure. Since the conclusion of war between Portugal and British-Breton coalition, there would be no major armed conflicts anywhere in the world. The wars have devastated far too many regions resulting in a massive increase of pacifists. Future conflicts would be resolved through diplomacy itself which helped lower unnecessary bloodshed to a minimum. Earth entered a peaceful era for the decades to come and the people hoped it would stay that way.

This concludes this AAR. I wish to thank all my readers for their support (even the lurkers ). I had a lot of fun writing this and I have learned a lot from writing this AAR. I hope you enjoyed reading this and you will join me with a new EU3 AAR that will come out by New Years. Thank you once again and Happy Holidays!

sebas379 · Jan 5, 2015

I see you've finished this AAR, well done!
I have a lot, and I mean a LOT of catching up to do, at least about 50 chapters I think (if memory serves me well I'm around the Battle of Delhi

) It slipped between the cracks after our little conversation on naval combat and at the rate you produce updates for so many stories, I can't keep up, haha. I might have even missed one or two, if I have time in the future I'll have to do a full reread. But I'd need a holiday for that, haha.

Just wanted to let you know it's being read, and I like what you did with the mix of WW1 and WW2 kind of fighting. The amount of detail you have put into the stories is impressive, well done!

Edit. I've now made it to chapter 179, just after the battle of Berlin. Very well written battle, wonderful attention to some detail.

blklizard · Jan 5, 2015

sebas379 said:
I see you've finished this AAR, well done!
I have a lot, and I mean a LOT of catching up to do, at least about 50 chapters I think (if memory serves me well I'm around the Battle of Delhi ) It slipped between the cracks after our little conversation on naval combat and at the rate you produce updates for so many stories, I can't keep up, haha. I might have even missed one or two, if I have time in the future I'll have to do a full reread. But I'd need a holiday for that, haha.

Just wanted to let you know it's being read, and I like what you did with the mix of WW1 and WW2 kind of fighting. The amount of detail you have put into the stories is impressive, well done!

Edit. I've now made it to chapter 179, just after the battle of Berlin. Very well written battle, wonderful attention to some detail.

Thanks! I will admit that I updated pretty regularly

. I wished I could put more time into naval combat for this AAR but it didn't quite work out. Luckily, I will have another chance with my other AAR in the future but don't know when. Thanks for commenting because it has been a lonely but fun ride with this AAR. I guess it's partly due to this AAR stuck in EU3 and not in HOI where the timeline actually works. Still, I didn't want to abandon it or buy HOI3.

Rebuilding the Great Empire - Timurids AAR (Death and Taxes MOD)

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Marshal of the Soviet Union

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