OnwAARds Hayastan - Armenia with Anatolian Wars mod

[Masked Pickle]

Part one: Calm before the storm

1.1 - Anger of a general

Near the Cappadocian border, Arzen district, Armenia, December 31, 1935

General Drastamat Martirosi Kanayan, riding his best horse, was contemplating the dilapidated barracks of the Cappadocian military camp which was guarding the border. "These Anatolian Greeks are grotesque. They know there are nothing but a bunch of cranked mountain-dwellers led by orthodox priests, a puppet state created by the Greeks, but they continue to rise against us, the Turks, the Pontics." commented Kanayan to his aide-de-camp, who was riding near him. The rest of Karin (formerly Erzurum) garrison, that "Dro" was leading, was far behind them. They were taking advantage of the night to ride in the cold Anatolian mountains, property of the Armenian state.

What Armenian state? Kanayan wanted to spit on the ground then he thought to the damned politicians in Erevan, who exiled him in this lost garrison, pushed by the Moscow-led communists within the Sejm. He, Drastamat Kanayan, was a true Armenian. The son of Martiros Kanayan, head of the Kanayan family clan of Igdir: then his father understood that he had no interests in reading, he sent him to the Erevan Gymnasium, where it was so difficult...No due to his pityful marks, but to the Russification policies within the school: he resisted them, entering an underground Armenian nationalist group, and later the Dashnak party, motivated by the legend of Zoravar Andranik.

He had the luck to meet the living legend, the only one who could have been able to give back to Armenia her past glory. First within the ranks of the Armenian volunteer units of the Russian army, where he distinguished himself as a commander, being wounded and even decorated by the Tsar. Appointed military commander by the Armenian National Council, he victoriously defended Bash Abaran against the Ottomans and continued the war for the new Armenian state. He was even Defence minister, leading the armies in the wars against Georgia and Azerbaijan...Well, there was tensions with Andranik, but then he became President, Dro was yet too popular to let him without responsabilities...It was a very good time.

And then the Democrats came back. He was a symbol of the military dictatorship, maybe a national hero, accused to share opinions with these excited guys from the Fedayeen Party...Well, he complied with their views, as then he turned Andranik's attention about the successes of Mussolini in Italy, but Dro was certain that politics were not for him, just for schemers and corrupted kleptocrats.

But if he was in Erevan...Everything of this would change. Not only the corruption, not only incompetence. But the entire map of the region. And even the whole conception that we had of the world.

-General?

Kanayan looked on his aide, who was pointing the other side of the border.

-Dro, we should go back to the city. Look at the Cappadocians: they are observing us. With our uniforms, they could claim we were about to attack their territory.

The general examined him with the most terrible scorn. He didn't believe his ears.

-Young man, if we were fifteen years ago, in the times of the independance war, I think I would have gunned you immediately, and then, after coming back to Karin, I would have attacked the Cappadocian position. Because an Armenian never flees.

As he said this, he stayed on his horse, staring on the border, until dawn, ignoring the Cappadocian soldiers who were observing them.

[Masked Pickle]

Enewald: I hope so.

Mehmet12: I hope I will be able to turn your mod in a good-looking AAR.

Wilegfass: I hope also they will.

[Enewald]

Attacking Cappadocia, yay!

are they greeks or turks?

[mehmet12]

w00t! Cappadocians/ Karamanlides were an isolated Greek community in Central Turkey who in RL went back in 1923 or thereabouts.

Dro Kanayan... bit of a legend

[Kurt_Steiner]

This guy means bussiness.... He'll do something to talk about...

[Masked Pickle]

Part one - Calm before the storm

1.2 - Fragile coalition

Presidential Palace, Erevan, Erevan district, Armenia, December, 31 1935

-Gentlemen, please stay seated.

Thus the President of the Republic spoke, and his ministers stayed on their chairs; but it has only the appearence of respect towards the Head of State. In fact, none of the ministers would have standed for someone they considered as a pathetic and spineless coward: President Simon Vratsian who, in the first three years of his term, had let Armenia going down in the turmoils of democracy, economic crisis and corruption, giving all his powers to his Prime Minister. His only goal was to take all the money he could before the end of his mandate. When he sit down, the Prime Minister, the old Avetis Aharonyan, who was at his ninth mandate of Head of Government, begun the reunion.

-First, gentlemen, I would like to wish you a happy New Year, and a happy beginning of the Nativity Fast. As you all know, it's the last meeting of the year 1935 and before you could get back to your homes for Nativity. So, it will be just a small overview of the current situation of Armenia. Let's begin with the foreign affairs. Mister Shant?

Levon Shant, born Levon Seghoposian, despite all his talents in novels, theater and poetry, was certainly not the right man for the job of Foreign Minister. A man needs more than talent to understand the complexity of diplomacy in the powder keg that the Middle East is. Between the problems of ethnicity, religion, alliances and cultures, it was difficult, even to a well-read, to understand it.

-Good. Kurdistan has again refused to comply to our claims on Vaspurakan province. Our exchanges with Assyria and Pontus are also going well. We thing that Yugoslavia will certainly try in the near future to question the current statu quo with Greece about the Lake Prespa Islands. Turkey...(All the men in the room took a serious face)...Turkey has signed an alliance with Azerbaijan. The only way to counter an extension to their alliance with Kurdistan would be to ally with Assyria, but they are doubtful about that. About our resource's problem, we will send a commercial delegation to England in January, but I encroach on Mister Andonian's responsabilities.

Hagop Andonian, Minister of Economy, was, during the Great War, right-hand man of the American ambassador in Constantinople, who had warned his government of the massacres; Henry Morgenthau Sr., father of the current US Secretary of Treasury. Thus, many of the hawks within the Armenian government were considering him as some sort of Washington agent.

-I must agree with my colleague: the next mission to London will help to stop our current deficit in energy. We have still great links with the governments of Britain, France and United States, as you know. Concerning our industrial potential, we should really develop it, as it was put in trouble by the current dissent in our factories. But it's for our ministry of Interior...
-Mister Pastermadjian? Mister Tehlirian?

Karekin Pastermadjian, better known under his nom de guerre Armen Garo, and Soghomon Tehlirian were two members of the hard wing of the Dashnak Party, totally unusual in this soft government, but their personal reputations had helped them to retain their respective posts of Minister of Interior and Director of Secret Services throughout the different governments. Pastermadjian, descendant of a legacy of resistants, was nothing less than the brain of the 1896 takeover of the Ottoman Bank in Constantinople, one of the best achievements of the Dashnak party. Among them was the action of Tehlirian: in 1921, during the Operation Nemesis, he had shot and killed the former Grand Vizir Talat Pasha in Berlin, for all his crimes against the Armenian people. After having been acquitted during his trial, Tehlirian came back as a national hero in Armenia, and Ozanian took him as head of his Secret Services.

-Well, the protests that arose after the signature of the Turkish-Azeri alliance pact led to many urban unrest and factories sit-in. But our police will soon arrest all the leaders.
-Our services think that they were paid by the Komintern, added Tehlirian.
-No trouble with the Soviet Union, replied Shant. This is our current stance.
-Maybe, but we can't ignore the threat that this alliance represents. Imagine if the Kurds would join them! I propose, in order to secure our borders and to avoid terrorist actions from the Muslim community on our soil, to organize the rearmement.

-I agree, said the Chief of Staff, General Movses Silikyan. A national hero and a great figure from the Andranik era, he had previously served in the Russian army before victoriously defending the young Republic against the Ottoman Army of Islam. After Andranik's death, he became Head of the Armenian Army, being more democrat than other figures such as Drastamat Kanayan or Christophor Araratov. We really need improvement for our army. Our rifles are outmoded and there is not enough men to defend our borders. I'm asking you to launch the rearmement by distributing arms to the citizens, forming militias, I don't know! But do something.
-Well. We will see with the Parliament tonight. Dismiss!

Thus the President had spoken. He was fearful on the threat for his power that a powerful army would represent. He knew that putting the debate in front of the Parliament would mean months, or even years, of sterile and slow achievements. In other terms, nothing.

Maybe his glasses were dirty, but President Vratsian had the impression that Pastermadjian and Tehlirian were very angry and were talking softly.

[Masked Pickle]

Enewald: Greeks, definitely, but Mehmet12 told it better than I could.

Mehmet12: But soon, MORE than a legend.

Kurt_Steiner: You got the point, my friend.

[innocex]

what is Hatay in your map, is it an Armenian Cilician kingdom remnant?

[mehmet12]

I wish! We tried in the Anatolian Wars Mod to find a historical basis for an Armenian Cilicia in the 30s but there wasn't one IRL or in our timeline. This one is the short lived Hatay Republic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Hatay) which in our game just serves as an excuse to involve Turkey with the Arab alliance (Hashemite Union, Syria, Nejd, Oman) to the South a bit more.

[Masked Pickle]

Part one: Calm before the storm

1.3 - Parliamentary turmoil

Azgayin Zhoghov building, Erevan, Erevan district, Armenia, December 31, 1935

-...That's why, my dear fellow Members of Parliament, I'm asking you to allow the Armenian army to launch a new military program in order to strengthen our position in the new Caucasian political context. It's, once more, the question of the old struggle between Armenians and Turks that is put on the table...That's why I...
-IT'S A SCANDAL! No, more! IT'S A FASCIST PROPOSAL!

Thus spoke an indignated Anastas Mikoyan, interrumpting the Head of the Armenian Army, General Movses Silikyan. The Chairman of the Armenian Communist Party, one of the most important opposition parties within the Armenian Parliament, had always given to pacifism a great place in the communist program. The Armenian communists had always considered that a strong army would mean a return to the worst of fascisms, and the return of war in Armenian houses. Some said that their policies of maintaining a weak Armenian army was a manner to prevent heavy resistance in case of Soviet invasion, but it was petty suppositions.

-Please, Mr. Mikoyan, you're not allowed to speak.
-I'M THE TRUE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ARMENIAN PEOPLE AND I WILL SPEAK! I'm allowed to speak on behalf of the true lovers of peace that the Armenian communists are, and against the warmongers of the agents of Rome!
-You're speaking for yourself, you blasted agent of Moscow!

Dressed in his full uniform of general of the Armenian army, Garegin Njdeh, born as Garegin Ter-Harutiunian, the self-proclaimed Kerala (leader) of the Fedayeen Party, Armenia's ultranationalist political formation, arose from his seat, followed by the few far right deputees, all members of the Armenian army. The Sejm chairman, an old member of the Dashnak party, whispered to Soghomon Tehlirian, who had followed general Silikyan inside the Parliament to defend the project of military rearmament:

-It's an example of the current debates within the Assembly: only an insult fighting between the Communist MPs and the Fedayeen ones. It's a chance they don't have the right to bring weapons at the Parliament.

The Director of Secret Services sighed, and said to his fellow, Pastermadjian:

-Don't worry. This will change very soon. Don't forget we got our rendezvous tomorrow.

[Masked Pickle]

I would like to see if there is any readers for this AAR, and also you to check my current level in English language. I'm currently having exams with it, so if AARland could help you in my revisions...

Innocex: I hope the armies of Armenia will finish to reach the Mediterannean...

Mehmet12: Will should we wait for historical claims then we can create ones?

[Davisx3m]

Me wants more ingame pics!!!

[mehmet12]

I would like to see if there is any readers for this AAR, and also you to check my current level in English language. I'm currently having exams with it, so if AARland could help you in my revisions...

Your English is excellent- occasionally you seem to miss out definite articles but generally it's very good- and this is coming from someone who speaks English with an awful Northern accent and one of the most useless languages left- Yiddish. Boy am I lucky

This AAR is going really well... but I would recommend a crash course in infantry upgrading and building as quickly as possible. Kurdistan can spam more units than you, but you have better tech teams- use them, and update all your infantry to '36 or '39 as soon as possible. When you do that, Kurdistan should be a pushover.

[Kurt_Steiner]

That Parliament reminds me of Taiwan, some years ago...

Who needs enemies, when they have a Parliament?

[innocex]

excellent aar pickle, i second the request for some in game pictures

[Enewald]

commies must die!

or leave armenia alone.

[Miihkali]

Great! Can't wait the action begins!

[Masked Pickle]

Part one: Calm before the storm

1.4 - Call of duty

Mamikonian Academy, Erevan district, Armenia, January 5, 1936

-One, two...One, two...One, two...

General Ndjeh and General Bagramhyan looked with some pity the little peasants, dressed with dirty uniforms of the Independance war and holding even older rifles, trying to keep the cadence of the march and walk in straight line. It was pathetic.

Although he knew some of the political tendancy from his colleague, General Ndjeh commented with a lot of scorn:

-Gaze at these future Armenian soldiers, General! This is what communists are building for us: a weak army, trained to desert when they will see the terrible tanks of the Red Army!...No, Stalin is too important to engage his army against these pityful infantrymen. Even the Turks would win a battle against us!

Even if he was himself a well-known supporter of the communist cause, General Hovhannes Bagramyan agreed with his counterpart. After five days of terrible debates at the Parliament, the Dashnak Party and the Fedayeen managed to allow credits to the reorganization of the Armenian army. But after some concessions to the Hentchaks and the Communists. So, the next divisions would be free militias armed with Soviet or Greek material, built only for questions of defence against foreign attacks. The militiamen would still have a civilian status, and thus allowed to quit the army at anytime and not being put on trial if they eventually deserted.

-A civilian army, barked Ndjeh in a moment of rage. We got this after almost a week of ill debates at the National Assembly, and now, our job is only to teach a few military tasks to these loafers...If they don't feel too bad after their efforts! DAMN IT!
-Let's see the bright side of all, General: with the current emigration created by the return of the whole Armenian diaspora, we will certainly be able to raise more divisions in a few time. And certainly more advanced ones.
-Yes, thanks to these newcomers, but where will be their promised land if this one is again invaded by all his neighbours? We maybe achieved our independance, but we're surrounded by a lot of enemies, General. Oh, I'm not speaking of the Russians, the Turks or even the Greeks. But think about the Georgians, the Azeris, the Kurds, the Assyrians, the Cappadocians, the Pontians. They're all against us, despite the differences of religion or ethnicity, and if they can, they will crush Armenia the soon as they can.
-And what can you do against that?
-Crush them before they do. It's not belligerance: it's prevention.

Bagramyan ignored the agressive remark, and staring at the outdated guns of the soldiers, added:

-The most terrible problem of our army is our lack of modernity. We should really find a way to update our armament.
-Don't be afraid, General. My contacts are trying to solve this quickly.

[Masked Pickle]

Davisx3m, Innocex: I hope your wishes are fufilled for now.

Mehmet12: As you can see, I'm following the strategy you've suggested to me.

Kurt_Steiner: Parliamentary republics are great creators of rings for fighting. They call it parliaments.

Enewald: LEAVE BRIT...ARMENIA ALOOOOOOOOONE!

Miikhali: Some other context updates will follow, but the real game in Anatolia and Caucasus will quickly begin.

[Enewald]

You are a major power on caucasus.

Shame on the neighbours.

Armenian hillsmen ftw!