The difference between the contrast of his eyes and the rest of the photo... that was my first though!
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OK, let it be XD
I've started editing some post to correspond to the newest history version. The changes are minimal, but my sense of historical correctiness would kill me, if I left such details unattended ^^'
I've started editing some post to correspond to the newest history version. The changes are minimal, but my sense of historical correctiness would kill me, if I left such details unattended ^^'
Finished the edits, international situation restored up to March 1937 - starting from today, I'll be writing the Second Congress events. Expect the update somewhere after the weened! 
Jedrek, are you still working on KR mod as member of development team? Will be your custom events included in next version?
Technically, judging by the list show at the beginning of every scenario, it seems I am considered a developer after all. But, since I didn't visit the forums for over half a year, I wouldn't be so optimistic about my status. No, the events are not included in the newest update (I'd be surprised if they were, since I totally forgot about them for the last half a year ), but I guess I'll submit them as soon as this AAR is finished.
No, the events are not included in the newest update (I'd be surprised if they were, since I totally forgot about them for the last half a year ), but I guess I'll submit them as soon as this AAR is finished.
Almost there... The Second International Congress turned out to have about 80 events - I guess you'll be either happy or ready to kill me once you see the results. I'll be inserting them into the game soon and if everything works fine, expect the update around weekend. Sorry for the double post - but it's fun to build up the heat
Sorry for the double post - but it's fun to build up the heat
Oh, send me a copy of that code please mate!
Oh. and here is
The First Cookie for Services to Syndicalism! ●
Oh. and here is
The First Cookie for Services to Syndicalism! ●
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XIII
Dispute
Dispute
(fragments of three lectures given by British General Staff members on the conference in the Republican Military Academy, Sandhurst)
general Bill Alexander, Supreme Commissar of the Army
As we know, the Great War was won by infantry and artillery. The fate of battles - and countries as well - was decided with artillery barrages, not by bombs dropped from planes, or massive tanks smashing through enemy trenches. It is true that we, the British, have fielded some most advanced pieces of equipment of the time - Mark I barrels, Camel fighters and so on - but we all know as well that they have utterly failed to stop the German onslaught in the last phase of the so-called Weltkrieg.
Of course, technology has greatly advanced since the Great War. Airplanes are now being used in trans-Atlantic communication, they fly further, faster and higher. But other kinds of weapons have advanced as well. We now have cannons capable of reaching those improved airplanes, sturdier bunkers to protect us from their bombs and so on - the shield has managed to catch up with the sword. As for me, the only useful purpose for airforce is to conduct reconnaissance operations, and, perhaps, be utilised against enemy industrial and resource centres, unless they are protected by a sufficient number of artillery batteries.
As for the so-called "tanks"; we remember those sluggish, resource-consuming beasts of the Great War. They served little purpose. The Germans quickly realised how to fight them, nullifying our initial advantage. Same happened with the French, with their light FT-17 quickly overwhelmed by specially trained artillery units. The conclusion is simple - the tank can be either slow and sluggish, and as such expensive to produce, or small and agile, but fragile as well. There is little, if any, possibility for achieving the middle ground.
general Alan Brooke
The famous duel between the shield and the sword, mentioned by comrade Alexander, is indeed a fine example of the problem we are facing today. However, I would not be as optimistic as comrade Alexander is - as for me, the blade is nowadays fully capable of challenging the shield - and is not so desperately overwhelmed.
Let's take the airforce. Modern airplanes - such as Republican Hurricane and Guardian Hampden are much faster, sturdier and heavier than their Great War predecessors. Comrade Alexander mentions artillery - but we should keep in mind that the heavier the cannon gets, the lower rate of fire it has. Next generation of bombers and fighters - such as the recently presented Syndalist Spitfire - should be capable of avoiding, if not suppressing, anti-air fire.
Same goes for tanks. Engines shall be made more powerful, which in turn will allow us to utilise thicker armour plates and heavier guns - and it is very possible that one day the so-called "middle-ground tank", as comrade Alexander suggested it, may come into use.
But a thing of vast, immeasurable importance is the training. We can give a poorly trained soldier the most advanced, powerful weapon we have - and he will surely waste it. But, if we give a worse weapon to an educated, prepared soldier - he will make good use of it. And if such soldier will be commanded by an independently thinking, bold officer, their success may be beyond any expectations.
So, comrades, I believe that the most important question today is the one regarding the soldier, not his weapons. In order for the Republican Army to become a truly effective fighting force, we must promote independent thinking, ability to make quick decisions on the battlefield and flexibility in choosing means needed to achieve desired results.
general Richard o'Connor
As year 1925 has proven, sometimes revolution is better than just evolution. And personally I believe that the time for such a revolution in our army has come.
As comrade Brooke noticed, the tanks and airplanes are going to change, possibly even surpassing any measures of protection we can develop. The importance of training can also be hardly overestimated. However, there is one factor that my predecessors failed to underline, even though they briefly mentioned it; speed.
Tanks and motorised vehicles provide our army with unimaginable speed. What an infantryman negotiates in a week, a truck can traverse in mere hours. Same goes for aircraft - a bomber can take off from an airstrip several miles from the frontline, cross it without a problem and strike a target even hundred miles behind - a feat impossible for even the most powerful artillery guns.
Comrade Alexander mentioned airplanes being capable of trans-Atlantic journeys. Imagine something as spectacular - a plane capable of delivering a dozen of men behind enemy lines, in a fashion simmilar to Great War German stormtroopers. Imagine an armada of such craft, dropping a fully equipped division - with artillery, tanks, trucks - right into hostile garden, ready to strike enemy lines from the behind. All this - and much more - would again be owed to one factor - speed.
Of course, implementing such radical ideas would require a complete reorganisation of our army. New regulations should be introduced, machine and vehicle plants modernised to allow mass production of specific parts and so on. Implementing new training programmes for soldiers and officers alike, as well as developing new tactics and strategis will take its time as well. But I am confident that his shall not the a time poorly spent.
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OK, so the ball's rolling again. And, as a welcome gift, a question for everyone reading this AAR - which option from the newest update should prevail?
Nice update!
Hmmm.
I'll vote for Alexander's idea. Armoured spearheads appear in a lot of updates and when we play alternate history, why not go for an alternate strategy to conquer the world?
In addition, it seems pretty understandable to me that Syndicalists dump a few good and promising ideas, despite being all progressive and modern. It's what happened in the OTL USSR, for example, when genetics was labeled "a pseudoscience" and persecuted until the times of Khrushchev.
Hmmm.
I'll vote for Alexander's idea. Armoured spearheads appear in a lot of updates and when we play alternate history, why not go for an alternate strategy to conquer the world?
In addition, it seems pretty understandable to me that Syndicalists dump a few good and promising ideas, despite being all progressive and modern. It's what happened in the OTL USSR, for example, when genetics was labeled "a pseudoscience" and persecuted until the times of Khrushchev.
The Eternal Question in the Art of War, which will be the emphasis of our Army, for a Middle-big power like UoB, the answer is divided between the Grand Battle with Artillery and armoured barrage, the Superior Training in Indepdant Command to make quicks and decisives actions in the Battle field and the Operational Art(the original name of the 'blitzkreig' like style of war) focus on speed and surprise attack(much like the stummtrupper principle), , the AAR is nice, keep with there
I vote for Comrade O'Connor's idea. A rapidly-deployable parachutist-focused army is perfect for an Island nation like ourselves who need to be able to project our forces wherever the international revolution requires them at a moment's notice! Think, for instance, what would happen if our Comrades in France need our help against the imperialist Hun! To deploy thousands of men in a few hours, falling from the sky... who could defeat that? Not the Kaiser, that's for sure!
Glad to see this AAR arise from the grave. Look forward to your event-chain.
O'Conner all the way, as far as I think...
O'Conner all the way, as far as I think...
Good news - the events are finally completed and implemented. From now on, I shall proceed with normal updates.
As for the doctrine - let's say the voting will be opened until tommorow (17 III), 23.59 PM, GMT. I'll publish the Second Congress update in the meantime and then we will decide.
As for the doctrine - let's say the voting will be opened until tommorow (17 III), 23.59 PM, GMT. I'll publish the Second Congress update in the meantime and then we will decide.
XIV
The Second International Congress
The Second International Congress
(from: From Marx to Horner and Guérin; socialism in Western Europe before the Second Great War by Anthony Blair, London 1999)
The first week after Eric Blair's speech was a very active and productive one. The most pressing matter - not surprisingly - was the question of the American revolution. With Long and Curtis on the march and Reed only barely holding his gains, it was imperative to provide any help neccessary for the Combined Syndicates. Luckily for the cause, the socialists regime of Mexico, Centroamerica, France and Britain have stood up to the task. Transported by sea to Mexico and then airlifted under constant AUS air threat to Reed's airbases, aid from all over the world started flowing to the Combined Syndicates.
The Combined Syndicates, contrary to other socialist countries attending, were not represented by high-ranking commissars. Instead, the American delegation was led by Ernest Hemingway, an experienced journalist, political activist and writer. In his speech on the third day of the Congress, he, on Reed's behalf, thanked all the socialist world for help and support and his followers. His call to battle the reactionaries all over the world is very often compared to Blair's "Damocles speech". According to Norman Davis' British history, Hemingway's words had far greater value than just a rethorical one; they both inspired Reed's soldiers and demoralised their opponents, fighting for the regimes in Atlanta, Washington DC and Sacramento.
One must not forget about the often overlooked aspect of the Second Congress; the Scientific Conference in Cambridge. Held on the 5th of May in perhaps the most famous British university, the meeting of the Internationale's most productive scientific minds resulted in a number of initiatives being proposed, the most famous of them being the so-called "Damocles project". Proposed by French scientists Frédérik and Irène Joliot-Curie, the initiative soon developed into the most complex scientific programme undertaken up to the date.
The first week of the Congress, however, ended with a tragedy. On the 6th of May John McLean, a giant airship, designed to serve as a symbol of Republican values and a propaganda tool for the Internationale all across the world, exploded while attempting to anchor to a mast on the outskirts of Paris. The explosion was caused by a random lightning that ignited the hydrogen inside the blimp. Almost crewmembers and passengers died onboard. A reactionary plot was suspected, yet no trace of explosives or sabotage have ever been found in the wreckage.
John McLean meets her doom
The tragedy, however, had little effect on the Congress as a whole. With just a short pause to mourn the victims of McLean disaster, the negotiations continued, with their focus moved to Latin America. Delegates representing all three socialist governments of the area took the stage, with Bolivia and Brazil requesting industrial and military help against the recently formed Chile - Argentina alliance, while the Centroamerican republic stated its readiness to expand towards the Panama Canal. A success of such plan would effectively sever communications between Atlantic and the Pacific. Naturally, Britain and France promised all the help neccessary.
The last days of the Congress were accompanied by two events of vast importane. On the 11th of May, kaiser Wilhelm II issued the so-called "Purification Act", aimed at eliminating the "potentially dangerous left-winged elements of the German society". In fact, the following round up resulted with several hunderds of socialist sympathisers, suffragettes, social democrats and other citizens arrested or forced into exile. The delegates in London condemned this act, but ultimately decided that it is still too early to openly confront the Mitteleuropa.
Still, the greatest breakthrough was yet to come.
Hawkish stance, so the US is in for a longer fight...and that conference is VERY productive
Go Syndicalist International!
Go Syndicalist International!
Like the chain so far. Good job, modding such a large chain must have been a headache.
So, the results of the voting are as follows:
Alexander - 1
Brooke - 1 (Or at least that's how I understand Nivek Beldo's opinion)
o'Connor - 3
It seems my GM vote is unneccessary, since we have a clear winner Looks like my IC's gonna have a hard time handling all those transport planes and tanks...
I'll do my best to post an update today evening or tommorow.
Alexander - 1
Brooke - 1 (Or at least that's how I understand Nivek Beldo's opinion
)o'Connor - 3
It seems my GM vote is unneccessary, since we have a clear winner
Looks like my IC's gonna have a hard time handling all those transport planes and tanks...I'll do my best to post an update today evening or tommorow.