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He for the American Election I'd choose Theodore Roosevelt.He has a lot of experience and he makes sure that the war against Mexico is won.And ofcourse the real Theodore Roosevelt wanted to help the Entente.
How on earth are they so clear and in colour?CSL_GG said:Just so you guys know those are actual Pre-World War One Photo's.
Evans said:
All your answers will be answered after reading this thread....
http://www.octopusoverlords.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1502
Near the end i've got two posts with a load of links on this.
Gonna try and get an update done tonight, did up a nice Excel Drawing of the Georgian Corps advance near Betebachi.
Casualty Lists
With the capture of Betebachi early in the day on April 15th the start of what men called "The Spring Offensive" was proceeding nicely. Though casualties were admittedly high they were not crippling in the area. Reserves were mostly unbloodied and therefore were available to exploit the gains made primarily by Douglas MacArthur's units. At suppertime however the possibility of any more gains had been halted after the reserve formations was battered upon a second stiffer line of Mexican defenses. Unknown to the American Army the first trench line was not the primary one; to MacArthur this would explain the relative absence of machine guns protecting Betebachi. This development would, during the course of the front long battle become, the linchpin of Mexican victory.
Map of the first few days of the Spring Offensive by the Georgian Corps.
Centered some two kilometers behind the first line of Mexican trenches it was a far more heavily guarded position. Laying behind the first trench line the ground between the two was far safer to traverse and engineers had made much use of that. Barbed wire and vast minefields were laid to make any offensive costly. Several areas had been pre-sighted for what few heavy artillery pieces the Mexicans had in the area. Commanders on both sides would later mistake pictures of the European Western Front to that in front of them. Several hundred of the MG-08's had been distributed to the two divisions which would oppose the American advance, with the help of two German military advisors the positions of these guns would be maximized to take into account terrain, sloping and over-lapping fields of fire. For all intents and purposes it was a true "No Mans Land".
Each division involved with the Spring Offensive had been given a primary target to be taken on the first day of the battle. The 1st Georgian Guards had been tasked with taking Betebachi which was thought to be a critical part of the Mexican lines and its capture would hopefully result in a collapsing enemy front. Though it was captured early in the day the result was not as expected, as the reserves advanced they were badly marred until by nightfall a order to retreat and entrench was given. The 2nd Georgian Guards was ordered to take Bocoyna, the second small town which was trapped within the current No Mans Land. The division however was spread out in a concurrent line from the critical town of Carichi - located on one of the three major road heads in the area - to the area in front of Bocoyna. The secondary goal of the division was to stabilize the line which was in some portions very uneven, as such those forces which could have been massed for a successful attack on the primary objective were not. The third and final division was given two objectives, the first was taking Moya Mountain, and the second was to advance down the largest road in the area towards El Veduque. Again in this case the division of tasks would impair the divisions fighting capacity, leading to its eventual defeat in both tasks.
A closer examination of the 2nd Georgian Guards Divisions fight in the opening days of the Spring Offensive shows the reasons why its defeat was made possible. Its strength of twenty thousand men had been spread across a frontage several kilometers long, eroding both its offensive and defensive efforts on the first few days of the battle. The first attacks of the day would break though the Mexican trench line which they believed to be the main one. Though casualties were once again high orders had been given to take Bocoyna despite the cost by the end of the morning. Several officers along the front knew that this was an impossible task but carried out their orders none the less, many paying for the mistake with their lives. By the end of the day the fruitless and costly attacks which had begun after noon had resulted in over five thousand casualties. Most of these had centered around Bocoyna itself but the effort was in vain, by nightfall what was left of the town remained in Mexican hands.
A startling image which would never be revealed to the American public was taken shortly after the failed attack of the 2nd Georgian Guards Division. Here a American serviceman, caught on barbed wire would die as the battle raged around his lifeless corpse.
The 3rd Georgian Guards had been given the most important task of the entire Georgian Corps - take Moya Mountain. Though it was just a glorified ridge it was the most imposing part of the landscape all along this portion of the front. Observers from the top of the ridge could see all the way down too Bocoyna several dozen kilometers west, tracer fire from Betebachi was also visible. Therefore it was deemed the most important task of the Corps to take that real estate. Once again however the division was given too many objectives, slightly to the east of Moya Mountain lay the single large road going to the south. To American planners it was vital to attack down the road towards the large town of El Veduque which was the headquarters of the local Mexican commander.
This double standard was to doom any efforts made by the 3rd Georgian Guards that day. As the artillery and trumpets sounded the assault early in the morning progress was slow. By ten in the morning the leading formations attacking towards the ridge were totally depleted and within another hour the reserve units were also put out of commission. At noon the ranking officer in charge of the attack ordered all units to retreat back to the original trench lines. Further to the east the attack down the El Veduque road was going far better but once again the second line of Mexican defense signaled an end to the American advance. Despite that however a large gain of territory was made to the east of the road, only putting the American lines closer to their Mexican counterparts.
Casualty reports would reach Major General Menoher by early in the evening; he would swiftly forward them to his commander General March along with a promise to renew the offensive as soon as possible. The communiqué that reached General March would bring dire news; by the end of the day on April 15th fully one-third of the Corps had become casualties. Little less then half that number were counted as dead - nearly ten thousand.
With the capture of Betebachi early in the day on April 15th the start of what men called "The Spring Offensive" was proceeding nicely. Though casualties were admittedly high they were not crippling in the area. Reserves were mostly unbloodied and therefore were available to exploit the gains made primarily by Douglas MacArthur's units. At suppertime however the possibility of any more gains had been halted after the reserve formations was battered upon a second stiffer line of Mexican defenses. Unknown to the American Army the first trench line was not the primary one; to MacArthur this would explain the relative absence of machine guns protecting Betebachi. This development would, during the course of the front long battle become, the linchpin of Mexican victory.
Map of the first few days of the Spring Offensive by the Georgian Corps.
Centered some two kilometers behind the first line of Mexican trenches it was a far more heavily guarded position. Laying behind the first trench line the ground between the two was far safer to traverse and engineers had made much use of that. Barbed wire and vast minefields were laid to make any offensive costly. Several areas had been pre-sighted for what few heavy artillery pieces the Mexicans had in the area. Commanders on both sides would later mistake pictures of the European Western Front to that in front of them. Several hundred of the MG-08's had been distributed to the two divisions which would oppose the American advance, with the help of two German military advisors the positions of these guns would be maximized to take into account terrain, sloping and over-lapping fields of fire. For all intents and purposes it was a true "No Mans Land".
Each division involved with the Spring Offensive had been given a primary target to be taken on the first day of the battle. The 1st Georgian Guards had been tasked with taking Betebachi which was thought to be a critical part of the Mexican lines and its capture would hopefully result in a collapsing enemy front. Though it was captured early in the day the result was not as expected, as the reserves advanced they were badly marred until by nightfall a order to retreat and entrench was given. The 2nd Georgian Guards was ordered to take Bocoyna, the second small town which was trapped within the current No Mans Land. The division however was spread out in a concurrent line from the critical town of Carichi - located on one of the three major road heads in the area - to the area in front of Bocoyna. The secondary goal of the division was to stabilize the line which was in some portions very uneven, as such those forces which could have been massed for a successful attack on the primary objective were not. The third and final division was given two objectives, the first was taking Moya Mountain, and the second was to advance down the largest road in the area towards El Veduque. Again in this case the division of tasks would impair the divisions fighting capacity, leading to its eventual defeat in both tasks.
A closer examination of the 2nd Georgian Guards Divisions fight in the opening days of the Spring Offensive shows the reasons why its defeat was made possible. Its strength of twenty thousand men had been spread across a frontage several kilometers long, eroding both its offensive and defensive efforts on the first few days of the battle. The first attacks of the day would break though the Mexican trench line which they believed to be the main one. Though casualties were once again high orders had been given to take Bocoyna despite the cost by the end of the morning. Several officers along the front knew that this was an impossible task but carried out their orders none the less, many paying for the mistake with their lives. By the end of the day the fruitless and costly attacks which had begun after noon had resulted in over five thousand casualties. Most of these had centered around Bocoyna itself but the effort was in vain, by nightfall what was left of the town remained in Mexican hands.
A startling image which would never be revealed to the American public was taken shortly after the failed attack of the 2nd Georgian Guards Division. Here a American serviceman, caught on barbed wire would die as the battle raged around his lifeless corpse.
The 3rd Georgian Guards had been given the most important task of the entire Georgian Corps - take Moya Mountain. Though it was just a glorified ridge it was the most imposing part of the landscape all along this portion of the front. Observers from the top of the ridge could see all the way down too Bocoyna several dozen kilometers west, tracer fire from Betebachi was also visible. Therefore it was deemed the most important task of the Corps to take that real estate. Once again however the division was given too many objectives, slightly to the east of Moya Mountain lay the single large road going to the south. To American planners it was vital to attack down the road towards the large town of El Veduque which was the headquarters of the local Mexican commander.
This double standard was to doom any efforts made by the 3rd Georgian Guards that day. As the artillery and trumpets sounded the assault early in the morning progress was slow. By ten in the morning the leading formations attacking towards the ridge were totally depleted and within another hour the reserve units were also put out of commission. At noon the ranking officer in charge of the attack ordered all units to retreat back to the original trench lines. Further to the east the attack down the El Veduque road was going far better but once again the second line of Mexican defense signaled an end to the American advance. Despite that however a large gain of territory was made to the east of the road, only putting the American lines closer to their Mexican counterparts.
Casualty reports would reach Major General Menoher by early in the evening; he would swiftly forward them to his commander General March along with a promise to renew the offensive as soon as possible. The communiqué that reached General March would bring dire news; by the end of the day on April 15th fully one-third of the Corps had become casualties. Little less then half that number were counted as dead - nearly ten thousand.
There WILL be an update tommorow. Based upon reflections on tommorow's date, I am quite sure you all know the signifigance.
After that i'm going to have to seriously buckle down on my essay, doing it on the Consquences for the Byzantine Empire of the Battle of Manzikert. Damn professor is evil with his source requirements though, need to be less then 10 years old and only one internet source. This basically screws me since the university library has no books on Byzantium that new, hell most of them are from the pre-60's! From what I gather Steve Runciman was the pre-eminate Byzantium historian of that era (read his book The Fall of Constantinople 1453 for my book review), but all his books are pretty damned old.
After that i'm going to have to seriously buckle down on my essay, doing it on the Consquences for the Byzantine Empire of the Battle of Manzikert. Damn professor is evil with his source requirements though, need to be less then 10 years old and only one internet source. This basically screws me since the university library has no books on Byzantium that new, hell most of them are from the pre-60's! From what I gather Steve Runciman was the pre-eminate Byzantium historian of that era (read his book The Fall of Constantinople 1453 for my book review), but all his books are pretty damned old.
CSL_GG said:
Ah, one of my favourite turning points in history, where the future of the Christian and Moslem worlds hung in the balance, depending on the decision of one fellow, the commander of the Roman rear guard. If he hadn't abandoned the Emperor, the battle had been won, the Empire preserved, the Crusades hadn't happened, renaissance had been (at least) delayed, the Muslim mentality hadn't been radicalized by centuries of agression...
And all because one guy, one evening decided not to do his duty. Yikes.
BTW, CSL_CG, if you send me some input to start spinning on, I could keep the fort while you're busy. As I mentioned in the PM, I'm having some trouble getting started.
CSL_GG said:
How about John Julius Norwich's Byzantium books? They're published during the nineties:
Byzantium: The Early Centuries
Byzantium: The Apogee
Byzantium: The Decline and Fall
I haven't read them yet but a friend of mine highly recommends them and the other books of Norwich that I've read (about Venice and Sicily) are excellent.
cthulhu said:
I've read the condensed edition, A Short History of Byzantium, it's excellent. Unfortunately, the first book of the series, Byzantium:The early centuries is from 1988 and the second Byzantium: The Apogee is from 1991, so they're both older than 10 years.
What kind of rank amateur demands sources be no older than a particular amount? I did an entire term of 18th century British political history where about 10% of my reading was less than 10 years old. Hell, I've seen entire reading lists from my faculty where there was not a single item younger than I am (although that's perhaps a failing on the part of Cambridge rather than any recommendation).
I take it from the difficulty in finding books that there has been no radical revolution in Byzantine studies in the past decade. If that's the case, I'd classify that 10 year proscription as a 'guideline', rather than a rule.
I take it from the difficulty in finding books that there has been no radical revolution in Byzantine studies in the past decade. If that's the case, I'd classify that 10 year proscription as a 'guideline', rather than a rule.
Damn. Could the Battle of Manzikert be featured in the last book? It's from '95 I believe.
Could the Battle of Manzikert be featured in the last book? It's from '95 I believe.
Yes, come to think of it, Manzikert and its consequences would be in the later books, so they should be OK as source material.
BTW, CSL_GC has asked me to do a little guest appearance in "America and a World in Flames", so here goes:
BTW, CSL_GC has asked me to do a little guest appearance in "America and a World in Flames", so here goes:
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Somewhere in China
March 1915
Schartau bowed in the Chinese fashion before the man on the throne, offering his respect to one who was perhaps not an Emperor, but of Imperial blood and a King in his own world of shadows and villainy. Howling winds made the massive stone walls of the ancient stronghold shudder, bringing the pounding of battering rams to mind, and the sound reverberated through the dimly lit audience hall. Fierce-eyed men wearing black, fur and steel lined the walls, mountain tribe warriors in the service of the Lord of the stronghold. They would slaughter anyone at his whim without thought or remorse and they looked the part.
The Stronghold
The man on the throne stroked a long, thin moustache that hang down from his lips like string. He arched one eyebrow, which made him even more satanic in appearance, and a frown creased a forehead reminiscent of that of Shakespeare as emerald green eyes pierced the European to his very soul. Under that gaze, Schartau couldn’t help but sweating, feeling as if every last one of his most personal secrets were laid bare before his host for inspection.
‘So, Herr Schartau’, the Chinese crime lord summed up his guests request, ‘your master desires the death of a man – of a Prince of the Blood, no less. And tell me, what is he willing to give me in return? How shall our pact be sealed?’
Schartau’s Master had foreseen the question – the Lord of the Si-Fan was not one to be kept waiting, or haggled with. The envoy lifted up a small suitcase and opened it with a flourish. Inside were arranged an Emperor’s ransom in cut stones of all the most precious kinds- sparkling white diamonds, dark crimson rubies, emeralds, deep-blue sapphires, perfect black pearls and white ones too. Their light was reflected in the gemstone eyes of the man on the throne. The hint of a smile curved his lips, but never reached those cold, hard eyes.
‘Yes… yes, I believe this will be adequate payment for the services you require from the Si-Fan. Tell your Master that his gems have bought him the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Habsburg.’
Without more ado, four tribesmen warriors led Schartau from the audience hall, through dusty corridors and rooms adorned with the mementos of ancient wars and long-forgotten battles until finally he was back with his horse and guide in the swirling snow outside the secret stronghold of Fu Manchu. Schartau drew his black cloak closer to shield him from the gelid winds and smiled. The master would be pleased.
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No update until Wensday at the earliest. To calm you all take a listen at this Franz Ferdinand song.....
http://www.popnarcotic.com/all for you,sophia Franz Ferdinand.mp3
I never thought a pop song could be made out of the Ferdinand assassination, I was proven wrong. The fact that its good is a plus too.
http://www.popnarcotic.com/all for you,sophia Franz Ferdinand.mp3
I never thought a pop song could be made out of the Ferdinand assassination, I was proven wrong. The fact that its good is a plus too.
Lugano, Switzerland
April 1915
Franz Ferdinand and his followers were assembled in front of a roaring log fire in the living room of the villa the party had hired, discussing the war and Austria’s role in it. Spring might be in the air, but it was still chilly outside and a good bonfire seemed in order. Várkony, of course, didn’t join the other men for brandy and cigars – and not only because he was a devout Muslim. He had a bad feeling, perhaps simply because his charge seemed so genuinely relieved, considering himself safe at last. But the Dagestani body-guard knew that the surprise attack, by its very nature, came when you didn’t expect it to. The Archduke’s complacency galled him.
Having completed his patrol of the main building, the knife-fighter began to stroll through the park-like garden surrounding the villa. He had detested the place, as far as he was concerned it was a death-trap. The garden, at least at night, offered far too many hiding places and avenues of approach to the house. Unfortunately, the Archduke’s secretary and friends had insisted on living “in style”. The villa was the best they could find along those lines.
Várkony sniffed at the cold and humid night air. It smelled of wet dirt and rotten things thawing, more poetically inclined men would consider it the fragrance of spring. And something else also… the sour smell of clothes that should have been washed a long time ago, although ever so faint came drifting with the wind. No one of Franz Ferdinand’s “Waltz Aristocracy” friends smelled like that, of that Várkony was sure. He loosened the long Kindjal knife in its scabbard and wet a finger to feel the wind.
The Kindjal, the typical short-sword of the indomitable tribes of the Caucasus
Where he was standing, the side of house acted as a wind-catcher, pushing the air flowing down from the mountains towards the lake down along the wall towards the ground. He looked up. He didn’t see anything so instead scanned the flowerbeds along the wall. There! Footprints. And on the wall above them, small incisions in the mortar between the stones. Someone had climbed the wall with the help of daggers.
Várkony didn’t hesitate for more than a second. Whatever the intruder intended to do on the roof, he would have ample time to do before he could get to him, unless of course it was sniping the next time the Archduke left the building. But then there would be plenty of time. He ran back into the house as fast as he could, making sure his steps were silent while still outside. Once inside, he didn’t care, but ran like a madman towards the living room. When he burst into it, every face turned towards him.
‘Move away from the fireplace!’ Várkony screamed, never stopping his break-neck approach. Mouths opened and inquisitive looks were sent his way, but nobody began to move. Swearing blood-curling oaths in his native tongue, the body-guard jumped.
An object fell down the chimney and into the fireplace with a soft crackle of collapsing burnt wood.
In mid-air, Várkony grabbed the low coffee table and pushed it in front of him as a shield as he continued to fly towards the fireplace. Glasses and brandy flew in all directions.
He hadn’t quite reached the fireplace when the five kilograms of black powder contained in the package exploded, scattering cinders and deadly nail shrapnel in all directions. The light table stopped as if hitting a wall, absorbing most of the explosion. The bodyguard rolled on the floor, ears ringing. None seemed to be seriously hurt, Várkony determined, and decided to go assassin hunting. Kindjal in hand he ran out into the garden in time to see a receding black shadow disappearing among the larger and varied shadows of the garden. He threw the sword-like knife with deadly accuracy and was rewarded with a shrill scream.
Franz Ferdinand found his bodyguard standing over the corpse of the latest of his would-be assassins, who had the Dagestani's large knife sunk halfway to the hilt in his back.
‘Mein Gott, Várkony! Who was it this time?’
Without answering, the knife-fighter retrieved his kindjal, wiping it on his victims dark-grey clothes – which reeked – and turned the corpse over with a foot. An ugly face, dirty, brutal and of undoubtedly Asian origin, drawn into a mask of agony rolled into view.
Várkony spat. ‘Dacoit! Filthy buggers, they would be among the best in the trade if someone could force them to bathe from time to time.’
‘Dacoit?’ the Archduke wondered, looking decidedly uncomfortable in his dinner jacket. ‘What is that?’
‘In general, an Indian or Burmese bandit, Your Highness, but in this particular case one of the tribe of Burmese renegade bandits in the employ of the Si-Fan. They are the only of their kind capable of this kind of subtlety. And before you ask, the Si-Fan is a Chinese criminal sect or secret society, reputedly the most powerful and ruthless by far of them all.’
‘But why did they try to kill me?’ Franz Ferdinand objected. ‘I have no quarrel with them, indeed, I’ve never heard of them in my life!’
‘They’re reported to hire themselves out as contract killers, for absolutely outrageous prices. They can name their price though, your Highness, because they never, ever fail.’
‘They did today.’
The short Dagestani shook his head and looked into his charges eyes. ‘I’m sorry, your Highness, I meant that in the end, they always bring down their mark. Some have foiled one, two, even three attempts by the Si-Fan – but they never stop trying, and eventually they always succeed, without exception.’
‘Gott im Himmel!’ Franz Ferdinand moaned. ’What can I do?’
‘I have heard of only two men to ever foil the plans of the Si-Fan and live, on two separate occasions – once around the turn of the century and the second time, about a year ago, although in truth, there was no contract on either of them. Nevertheless, I strongly suggest you try to get them to help you.’
‘Who are these men?’ the Archduke wondered, intrigued.
‘They’re Englishmen, and I realize that might be a problem. Still, the better known of them is a detective called Sherlock Holmes who is in retirement now, although he did come momentarily out of it last spring to foil a German plot. The younger one is with the Scotland Yard, and incidentally Holmes nephew, one Inspector Denis Nayland Smith. If they can’t help you, your Highness, nobody can.’
The famous detective
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