a long and perhaps, costly war?
or are we not about to see the return of the ballooning Prussian national debt?
heretic
or are we not about to see the return of the ballooning Prussian national debt?
heretic
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hmm germans and frenchmen fighting side by side. Can anything good come out of this?` 
Great update as always
Great update as always
I agree with Skymning, nothing good can really come from Prussians and Frenchies working together, but so long as it allows the Prussians to become the supreme power, then it's all good, eh?
Skymning said:hmm germans and frenchmen fighting side by side. Can anything good come out of this?`
Can't be any worse than German's and Italians.
Lord G. Q. White said:Can't be any worse than German's and Italians.
Swede´s and norwegian? :wacko:
From The Eagle Rising: The Story of Prussia's Arrival On the World Stage, pub. 1989 by Professor Reinicke Herz
Field Marshall von Moltke successfully captured the Austrian city of Trencin at the beginning of October. However, his plans to then move north and eliminate the Austrian divisions that were occupying Prussian Silesia were foiled by an Austrian move near Olomouc, where Moltke was forced to turn back an attempt to break out from encirclement.
By the beginning of November, Moltke had also turned back an Austrian attempt to capture the city of Breslau. He moved from there into Troppau, liberating that Prussian province. These moves, combined with the coincident surrender of the South German Federation, marked a turning point in the 2nd Austro-Prussian War.
The fact that the Austrian armies in Silesia had been weakened and reduced by battle and winter weather led Moltke and Chancellor Albrecht von Roon to a shift of strategies. The encirclement, it seemed, was less important. Instead, Prussia would concert its forces and drive against the Austrian capital -- Moltke from the north, and General Manteuffel from the west.
By mid-December, 1866, Manteuffel’s cavalry was already putting pressure on Austria’s western flank. He had secured the province of Ried, and was en route to Linz. The weakened Austrian army was presenting little challenge to his advance. Likewise, Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm was also pushing steadily into the mountains of western Austria. And most armies of the former South German Federation had changed sides, and were now assisting the Prussian advance into Austria.
Austrian Emperor Franz Josef had begun to offer peace terms, but his offers at this point seemed hollow to Kaiser Wilhelm, who ignored them.
Field Marshall von Moltke successfully captured the Austrian city of Trencin at the beginning of October. However, his plans to then move north and eliminate the Austrian divisions that were occupying Prussian Silesia were foiled by an Austrian move near Olomouc, where Moltke was forced to turn back an attempt to break out from encirclement.
By the beginning of November, Moltke had also turned back an Austrian attempt to capture the city of Breslau. He moved from there into Troppau, liberating that Prussian province. These moves, combined with the coincident surrender of the South German Federation, marked a turning point in the 2nd Austro-Prussian War.
The fact that the Austrian armies in Silesia had been weakened and reduced by battle and winter weather led Moltke and Chancellor Albrecht von Roon to a shift of strategies. The encirclement, it seemed, was less important. Instead, Prussia would concert its forces and drive against the Austrian capital -- Moltke from the north, and General Manteuffel from the west.
By mid-December, 1866, Manteuffel’s cavalry was already putting pressure on Austria’s western flank. He had secured the province of Ried, and was en route to Linz. The weakened Austrian army was presenting little challenge to his advance. Likewise, Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm was also pushing steadily into the mountains of western Austria. And most armies of the former South German Federation had changed sides, and were now assisting the Prussian advance into Austria.
Austrian Emperor Franz Josef had begun to offer peace terms, but his offers at this point seemed hollow to Kaiser Wilhelm, who ignored them.
Rensslaer said:
Sorry I've been away and distracted for a while. I've lapsed not just in my posting responsibilities, but in my reading other AARs too. I'll be back in the swing of it soon, now that the election is blessedly over. I'm trying to start a newspaper, too, so... Distracted is the word. :wacko:Lord G. Q. White said:You vile tempress.
I will not get any sleep as I will lay awake all night trying to decipher that.
Lord GQ, sorry! But I'm glad to see that you and Draco are so deeply interested. It shouldn't be very long before you will know, though we do have at least a couple more updates before it will become apparent (perhaps Monday?).
Klink! I did not have a lot of time to respond to your note last time around. I have found that there is a lot to deal with in Vicky, but it's worth learning how to manage things. Just so you know, I'm still on my first game (I don't have alot of time to play!) and I've grown in awareness and understanding as I've been playing. Victoria is kind of like driving a car -- there are lots of things to learn, and it may take a while before you're really good at it, but after some practice it becomes very easy.
Draco, (see above too) I'm glad you like Sheridan. Sheridan may end up being another of my favorite 19th century characters (like Louis Napoleon) who I've discovered through researching for this game. Quite a fascinating character. I'm sure you saw my comments to Coz about his presumed rise despite the absence of a Civil War.
Heretic, yes my debt is getting out of control again. I'm more able to deal with it now, with a stronger economy, but I've been at war so much that I've been unable to do many of the things I need to in order to have a first class economy. And the darn Brits aren't letting go!
Jamien, welcome to the AAR, and to the forum! It's always good to see new readAARs.
Thanks also to Coz, Josh, El-Rey, Skymning and von Lippe (did you see I made a Detmolder character in your honor?
). For those who are anticipating the outcome with the Austrians, I'll refer again to that pesky twist, which I could never have scripted but which I have nevertheless incorporated... Rensslaer
Well it looks like you are moving fairly strongly on the Austrians. I hope the twist isn't harmful.
And on a side note - sweet, sweet victory! You know what I mean.
And on a side note - sweet, sweet victory! You know what I mean.
Excerpt of a Letter from Prussian Crown Prince Frederick William to the Crown Princess Victoria, Christmas Eve, 1866
My Dearest Vicky, The Love of My Life,
With the surrender of the young fop Ludwig, I have been finding more time to attend to personal business. Happily, I now have some time to write in more detail than I've had in a while.
I am so grieved that I must spend yet another Christmas season away from you, and our beloved infants, Willie, Charlotte and Henry. I want you to know that I love you each, dearly, and I will endeavor to return at my earliest opportunity.
I understand that we have now seen British soldiers on Prussian soil for the first time. I am assured that our loyal Danische Corps has taken up the Flensburg forts, and will allow the British no further than the fens of Jutland.
I also understand that Marshal Bazaine has thrown the British armies away from the gates of Paris, and all the way into the sea. Indeed, despite some reservations I shall note in a minute, it seems like quite a victory. But I shall not dwell upon an event which I am sure causes you grief as these men were once your countrymen. You know that I would give anything that it were not happening.
I am mindful of an irony, and it saddens me. Tens of thousands of British soldiers are again dying at the hands of the French Army. But this time it is in a war of Britain's own making. And from my perspective, and yours, I know that the fears and suspicions that had driven the United Kingdom to war were entirely mistaken. I hope that your Mother will see this soon, and will put an end to this war. I know that you share my wish that no more Englishmen should die in this mistaken cause. Please, beloved, pen another message to your Mother and explain these things to her. She will know the truth of your words, if not mine.
I must reflect. I think that any honest examination of war must see the sheer magnitude of associated wastefulness. Nevertheless, I remain convinced that some wars are necessary -- if only because not everyone in the world sees war as wasteful. I must say, however, I did not expect such a determination from England! These British ministers have convinced me that all is not gold in the ideal of democracy. I am troubled by that thought, but I cannot shake what seems more and more apparent every day.
Back, however, to the matter with Bazaine. I am greatly troubled that, from the information I have, it seems that his own folly had led him so far away from the treasure trove entrusted to him, merely so that he could chase baubles in a far away province. And so very tragic, too, that our Prussian soldiers paid the price of standing in the gap, as at Thermopylae, while waiting for the Marshal-President to return. I shall simply have to trust that he will find it within his abilities to now keep the British troops from encroaching from the west.
The Mayor of Ulm has graciously invited me and my higher staff (Leo sends his most reverent greetings, I should add) to attend a special Christmas dinner in our honor. It is a very noble thing that he proposes, considering our recent state of war. However, he has explained to me that he shares our wishes for a united Germany. He even went so far as to say that he would enjoy seeing a unification with the Austrian Germans, although I did not go so far as to explain that I share such a vision.
But on the very morrow after we celebrate the birth of Christ, we must not hesitate to mount up and carry on with the next phase of this war. We shall ride south and begin the capture of these German-populated and mineral-rich provinces within the Austrian Alps.
I have emphasized with my commanders the necessity of maintaining good relations with the populations we encounter, so as not to invite resentment. We shall, as always, avoid any excess at the expense of the conquered. They, as with the good Mayor, will soon be Prussian subjects with all the rights so accorded.
Please take good care of our beautiful firstborn, Willie, and his brother and sister. It is this greater empire of which I speak that I hope to one day turn over to Willie's gentle hands.
In hopes that I will see you again within a few short months, I remain, your eternally Devoted Husband,
Fritz
My Dearest Vicky, The Love of My Life,
With the surrender of the young fop Ludwig, I have been finding more time to attend to personal business. Happily, I now have some time to write in more detail than I've had in a while.
I am so grieved that I must spend yet another Christmas season away from you, and our beloved infants, Willie, Charlotte and Henry. I want you to know that I love you each, dearly, and I will endeavor to return at my earliest opportunity.
I understand that we have now seen British soldiers on Prussian soil for the first time. I am assured that our loyal Danische Corps has taken up the Flensburg forts, and will allow the British no further than the fens of Jutland.
I also understand that Marshal Bazaine has thrown the British armies away from the gates of Paris, and all the way into the sea. Indeed, despite some reservations I shall note in a minute, it seems like quite a victory. But I shall not dwell upon an event which I am sure causes you grief as these men were once your countrymen. You know that I would give anything that it were not happening.
I am mindful of an irony, and it saddens me. Tens of thousands of British soldiers are again dying at the hands of the French Army. But this time it is in a war of Britain's own making. And from my perspective, and yours, I know that the fears and suspicions that had driven the United Kingdom to war were entirely mistaken. I hope that your Mother will see this soon, and will put an end to this war. I know that you share my wish that no more Englishmen should die in this mistaken cause. Please, beloved, pen another message to your Mother and explain these things to her. She will know the truth of your words, if not mine.
I must reflect. I think that any honest examination of war must see the sheer magnitude of associated wastefulness. Nevertheless, I remain convinced that some wars are necessary -- if only because not everyone in the world sees war as wasteful. I must say, however, I did not expect such a determination from England! These British ministers have convinced me that all is not gold in the ideal of democracy. I am troubled by that thought, but I cannot shake what seems more and more apparent every day.
Back, however, to the matter with Bazaine. I am greatly troubled that, from the information I have, it seems that his own folly had led him so far away from the treasure trove entrusted to him, merely so that he could chase baubles in a far away province. And so very tragic, too, that our Prussian soldiers paid the price of standing in the gap, as at Thermopylae, while waiting for the Marshal-President to return. I shall simply have to trust that he will find it within his abilities to now keep the British troops from encroaching from the west.
The Mayor of Ulm has graciously invited me and my higher staff (Leo sends his most reverent greetings, I should add) to attend a special Christmas dinner in our honor. It is a very noble thing that he proposes, considering our recent state of war. However, he has explained to me that he shares our wishes for a united Germany. He even went so far as to say that he would enjoy seeing a unification with the Austrian Germans, although I did not go so far as to explain that I share such a vision.
But on the very morrow after we celebrate the birth of Christ, we must not hesitate to mount up and carry on with the next phase of this war. We shall ride south and begin the capture of these German-populated and mineral-rich provinces within the Austrian Alps.
I have emphasized with my commanders the necessity of maintaining good relations with the populations we encounter, so as not to invite resentment. We shall, as always, avoid any excess at the expense of the conquered. They, as with the good Mayor, will soon be Prussian subjects with all the rights so accorded.
Please take good care of our beautiful firstborn, Willie, and his brother and sister. It is this greater empire of which I speak that I hope to one day turn over to Willie's gentle hands.
In hopes that I will see you again within a few short months, I remain, your eternally Devoted Husband,
Fritz
Great update! I'm beginning to get a little worried about this 'twist' to which you continue to refer. I'm hoping that it does not cause to much havoc in the plans of Prussia.
Also, nice letter from Freddie to Vicky, a very human touch, eh?
Also, nice letter from Freddie to Vicky, a very human touch, eh?
From The Eagle Rising: The Story of Prussia's Arrival On the World Stage, pub. 1989 by Professor Reinicke Herz
While Field Marshall von Moltke held on against reinforcements near the city of Brno, the war raged about him through the month of January, 1867. In the west, the Crown Prince had first conquered Innsbruck, and then had met some small resistance near the Zell am See. General Manteuffel was moving strongly against the western flank, having engaged another small force near Sankt Polten. Strangely, Erzherzog Albrecht had successfully coalescenced several Austrian divisions together north of von Moltke in a major counteroffensive, but the Prussian forces opposing him were also strong. This last gasp of the Austrian Army did not have a hope against the Prussian onslaught.
Meanwhile, turmoil brewed in the Austrian capital of Vienna. Sensing weakness in the Habsburg Emperor Franz Josef as Prussian armies closed in on his palace, Hungarian representatives to the court at Vienna decided the time was ripe to present their demands to the Emperor. They would be recognized as a power, or they would walk… and the Habsburg Monarchy would fall.
Franz Josef acted to preserve the Empire and on the face of it to broaden his title, even at great cost to his own real authority. The Habsburgs would stand – for at least a few more weeks – at the head of a Dual Monarchy. The Hungarian people were satisfied, for a time, that their respect and authority was established in the minds of the Austrians and the world. In the Austrian Parliament, the German Radicals took power, to the great displeasure of Franz Josef. But a front of unity was presented. The war would continue, but no one would speculate on the condition of the Empire once Prussian troops approached Vienna.
Having defeated his opposition in Brno, von Moltke took his armies north to challenge Erzherzog Albrecht. The Prussian defense was restructured, with several divisions withdrawn, reinforced, and sent back into combat in concert with Moltke’s arriving cavalry. Albrecht was caught in a vise, and by the middle of March, he began to suffer enormous casualties.
Meanwhile, Friedrich Wilhelm had successfully conquered Zell am See, and was pushing the reach of Prussian control south through German-populated lands toward the Adriatic Sea – first through Klagenfurt, then Ljubljana, and south from there. And Manteuffel had pushed his armies up to the very gates of Vienna.
Observers around the world began to doubt the continued existence of the Habsburg Empire in any form, short of a provincial capital. A pall of doom hung over the proud lands that were Austria-Hungary.
While Field Marshall von Moltke held on against reinforcements near the city of Brno, the war raged about him through the month of January, 1867. In the west, the Crown Prince had first conquered Innsbruck, and then had met some small resistance near the Zell am See. General Manteuffel was moving strongly against the western flank, having engaged another small force near Sankt Polten. Strangely, Erzherzog Albrecht had successfully coalescenced several Austrian divisions together north of von Moltke in a major counteroffensive, but the Prussian forces opposing him were also strong. This last gasp of the Austrian Army did not have a hope against the Prussian onslaught.
Meanwhile, turmoil brewed in the Austrian capital of Vienna. Sensing weakness in the Habsburg Emperor Franz Josef as Prussian armies closed in on his palace, Hungarian representatives to the court at Vienna decided the time was ripe to present their demands to the Emperor. They would be recognized as a power, or they would walk… and the Habsburg Monarchy would fall.
Franz Josef acted to preserve the Empire and on the face of it to broaden his title, even at great cost to his own real authority. The Habsburgs would stand – for at least a few more weeks – at the head of a Dual Monarchy. The Hungarian people were satisfied, for a time, that their respect and authority was established in the minds of the Austrians and the world. In the Austrian Parliament, the German Radicals took power, to the great displeasure of Franz Josef. But a front of unity was presented. The war would continue, but no one would speculate on the condition of the Empire once Prussian troops approached Vienna.
Having defeated his opposition in Brno, von Moltke took his armies north to challenge Erzherzog Albrecht. The Prussian defense was restructured, with several divisions withdrawn, reinforced, and sent back into combat in concert with Moltke’s arriving cavalry. Albrecht was caught in a vise, and by the middle of March, he began to suffer enormous casualties.
Meanwhile, Friedrich Wilhelm had successfully conquered Zell am See, and was pushing the reach of Prussian control south through German-populated lands toward the Adriatic Sea – first through Klagenfurt, then Ljubljana, and south from there. And Manteuffel had pushed his armies up to the very gates of Vienna.
Observers around the world began to doubt the continued existence of the Habsburg Empire in any form, short of a provincial capital. A pall of doom hung over the proud lands that were Austria-Hungary.
Rensslaer,
surely you can tell that a big white blob would look much better when cut into a lot of pieces and released as satellites?
Heretic
surely you can tell that a big white blob would look much better when cut into a lot of pieces and released as satellites?
Heretic
Shoot, I'm just excited to see the Big White Blob not quite so "blobbish" anymore. You've cut through them like a hot knife through butter. Nice work, and I especially like the letters sent home to the wife. Great stuff.
Cracking AAR, its like a book I don't want to put down. An added bonus being its updated regularly!
Just my two cents but I think Germany looks a lot more rounded off and complete with the addition of the rest of Poland and Czechoslovakia (SP?). Ahhh what the hell, annex Austria and go for Greater Germany all the way!
Just my two cents but I think Germany looks a lot more rounded off and complete with the addition of the rest of Poland and Czechoslovakia (SP?). Ahhh what the hell, annex Austria and go for Greater Germany all the way!
Deutchland
Come on, all of you... sing with me:
"Deutchland, Deutchland uber alles...."
Come on, all of you... sing with me:
"Deutchland, Deutchland uber alles...."
Golden_Deliciou said:
i just reached page 10, your post. also, this is my first exposure to Victoria, so some of the screen shots are incomprehensible to me. i saw a reference to this AAR over in the HoI forums, i think in a signature. having a g-grandfather who was born in Prussia... that said,
IRL, England would not stand for the French invasion of Prussia, and certainly by a person who just happened to have a last name of Napoleon, and this close to 1815... how this AAR worked out, well, i will soon be reading some more.
Russia has just lost the Crimean War, so is somewhat beat up. England has its ground forces scattered around the Black Sea and Eastern Med., yes? Bavaria is too close to France to intervene. Austria is too beat up to intervene. Sweden is not interested. AFAIK, no one else has the strength to make a difference.
so, my money is on an English invasion that takes Paris. possibly after a certain letter to the Mrs. gets to her father in England via diplomatic pouch... under these circumstances, the English would certainly prefer a possible peaceful [and, perhaps, even a democratic] heir to the Prussian throne and an independent France to a much stronger France led by a Napoleon.
OH, fabulous AAR!
totally, totally awesome!
edit to add: just caught up. boy, was i wrong about England! :wacko:
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Interestingly, I just found a couple of interesting items in our central library -- Dearest Vicky, Darling Fritz, about their relationship, and presumably letters, and Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm's war diary from the Franco-Prussian War. Haven't gotten a chance to look at them yet, but it will be interesting to see how close I've gotten on both of these matters.coz1 said:
Rensslaer