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The Incredible Journey of Mr. Ferdinand - Part One
Two assassination attempts, and yet the man many people wanted dead was still alive. The first attempt had resulted in grave injury and the death of his wife, the second would take several of his closest friends. But while dozens of bullets had been expended for the sole purpose of taking his life, none had found the mark. True, one had come close, but close is not close enough. The attack at the matinee had shown the Archduke that his enemies would be relentless in their pursuit. Austrian agents had undertaken a bold attack upon his person on the streets of Venice, but he had escaped with several friends and his mysterious companion known only as Michael.
Knowing that the streets of Venice were no longer safe for his person the Duke would endeavor to travel south to Rome or possibly even Naples. One of his friends had suggested traveling instead to France where he would be under protection by the French government. Franz would demur the offer though; he had reservations about taking up that particular choice, having had numerous dealings with the French before the war he was not one to trust them easily. It was in Italy where the Archdukes hope would lie. Michael had donated a new car and a sizable sum of money to the Duke to get him on the way south and he still had several influential friends down towards Rome where he could stay or get assistance if need be.
The trip south would be hazardous, every man agreed on that point. Those attackers near the matinee had been professional and only the timely arrival of the Archdukes friends had saved him, though now many of his friends lay in Venetian morgues. The sound of the weapons used by the marksmen had been undeniably that of Austrian origin. M95 Mannlicher rifles for certain. And while the attack had almost succeeded it had not, the matinee which had almost doomed them would turn out to have a back exit which led to freedom and yet, did the assassins have a backup plan in case of failure? There were too many unknowns to be sure of anything, his driver Otto had not noticed a tail on the way back to the Bohemians house but that did not mean there was not one. A single tail would be easy to pick out, but rotating tails would be hard to spot. Would the Austrian agents even now know where the Archduke was?
Before they caught up with the Duke he would leave his friend with a handshake and a promise to revisit that fateful matinee under better circumstances. With several thousand dollars in Italian funds and a brand new car he, his four remaining companions and children would set off south towards Rome passing through Bologna on the sixth of December. It was a quiet ride, disturbed only by the sound of the Archduke reading his children their favorite bed time story. His youngest child Ernst would ask his father when mother was going to come back, he reassured his son that they would eventually all be together again, this seemed to settle the child and he would shortly fall asleep. Only the Archdukes closest friend and shooting partner Graf Jaroslav Thurn would hear his friend sob as he fell to sleep. Now the only sound was the coming from the tires as they traveled south as quick as they could.
Two assassination attempts, and yet the man many people wanted dead was still alive. The first attempt had resulted in grave injury and the death of his wife, the second would take several of his closest friends. But while dozens of bullets had been expended for the sole purpose of taking his life, none had found the mark. True, one had come close, but close is not close enough. The attack at the matinee had shown the Archduke that his enemies would be relentless in their pursuit. Austrian agents had undertaken a bold attack upon his person on the streets of Venice, but he had escaped with several friends and his mysterious companion known only as Michael.
Knowing that the streets of Venice were no longer safe for his person the Duke would endeavor to travel south to Rome or possibly even Naples. One of his friends had suggested traveling instead to France where he would be under protection by the French government. Franz would demur the offer though; he had reservations about taking up that particular choice, having had numerous dealings with the French before the war he was not one to trust them easily. It was in Italy where the Archdukes hope would lie. Michael had donated a new car and a sizable sum of money to the Duke to get him on the way south and he still had several influential friends down towards Rome where he could stay or get assistance if need be.
The trip south would be hazardous, every man agreed on that point. Those attackers near the matinee had been professional and only the timely arrival of the Archdukes friends had saved him, though now many of his friends lay in Venetian morgues. The sound of the weapons used by the marksmen had been undeniably that of Austrian origin. M95 Mannlicher rifles for certain. And while the attack had almost succeeded it had not, the matinee which had almost doomed them would turn out to have a back exit which led to freedom and yet, did the assassins have a backup plan in case of failure? There were too many unknowns to be sure of anything, his driver Otto had not noticed a tail on the way back to the Bohemians house but that did not mean there was not one. A single tail would be easy to pick out, but rotating tails would be hard to spot. Would the Austrian agents even now know where the Archduke was?
Before they caught up with the Duke he would leave his friend with a handshake and a promise to revisit that fateful matinee under better circumstances. With several thousand dollars in Italian funds and a brand new car he, his four remaining companions and children would set off south towards Rome passing through Bologna on the sixth of December. It was a quiet ride, disturbed only by the sound of the Archduke reading his children their favorite bed time story. His youngest child Ernst would ask his father when mother was going to come back, he reassured his son that they would eventually all be together again, this seemed to settle the child and he would shortly fall asleep. Only the Archdukes closest friend and shooting partner Graf Jaroslav Thurn would hear his friend sob as he fell to sleep. Now the only sound was the coming from the tires as they traveled south as quick as they could.
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It appears that the Archduke is fast becoming a major figure in this AAR. I keep asking myself what his long-term role will be in the story, and you expertly...and insiduously...draw it out for my enjoyment. 
Nice job!
Nice job!
Life In The Trenches
Fortifications were something that was done by the armies of nations for millennia. From the walled city of Troy, to the castles of Medieval Europe and to the great fort of Liege, these systems had been in practice. But for all this time nations had neither the men nor materials to make heavy entrenchments on anything but a short defensive line or lone strong points. With the beginnings of conscription and rapid industrialization after the Napoleonic wars both of these restrictions would eventually end. The mass of men needed to man the system of trenches that showed up at the tail end of 1914 would only be seen starting in the middle of the previous century in the Franco-Prussian and American Civil Wars.
Large numbers of troops it would be seen could easily entrench themselves into defensible positions with the aid of a simple spade. Overnight many units could dig a fairly deep and long trench suitable to repel a determined attacker if need be. The second thing which would make these lines so effective would be the improvements upon firearms which occurred in the second half of the nineteenth century. These developments would be the breech-loading rifle and machine guns. The first invention would be picked up by both sides in the American Civil War around half way through the conflict. Many men would find that a stout defense could inflict unacceptable losses with a fair number of breech-loaded rifles, yet this would pale in comparision to the development of the machinegun. This revolutionary weapon would be patented by Richard Gatling in 1861 and while it was more akin to a chain gun it would still spark much interest in the wake of its effective use in the Civil War. By the turn of the century a platoon of men armed with breech-loading rifles and a machine gun such as the Maxim would be able to defend an area against all but the most determined attack.
The development of breech-loading artillery and rifles would revolutionize warfare in the late nineteenth century, yet many operational commanders would not heed the lessons shown in the Franco-Prussian and American Civil Wars.
Artillery too would become more prevalent in warfare as a new century dawned. Again breech-loading would prove to harbor important new improvements. New and modern artillery made by Krupp would once again be a primary killing force on the field of battle and prove to be very effective in regards to backing up a stationary, entrenched line.
The stage was set for trench warfare.
The commanders of many of the worlds nations were however, unawares of the effect these new weapons would create on the field of battle. Virtually all of these men would continue to plan attacks and other operations around tactical training that would be familiar to Napoleon. The French and German master plans at the beginning of the war would not take account of these new weapons, nor too would American commanders including Generals Bliss and March. While trench warfare had not set in by 1915 in Europe the same could not be said in North America where the long Roosevelt Line had appeared at the end of November the previous year. Though not by any means a defense in depth it was a formidable defense compared to the strength of any Mexican attackers. Several early attacks by those forces had run into a solid wall of lead with light losses for the defenders. These attacks would only wind down after any scent of the injured Texan Corps had faded from the nostrils of the angry Mexican dog. Seeing the advantages a similar system would have for them the Mexicans would begin to construct their own lines as Christmas neared mostly centering near important cities such as Vera Cruz and supply points near the isolated rail lines that still existed in the country. They would equal the American lines within weeks thanks partly to several German engineers that had arrived to "advise" the Mexicans.
An aerial view of the American and Mexican trench systems near Vera Cruz. On the coast was were the construction of these lines would climax in the early months of 1915.
Life in these new trench systems would not initial be very harsh for the troops involved. Indeed compared to the fierce fighting shown in the southern parts of the country this new garrison duty was a cakewalk. American troops would live in the trenches for a week at a time before returning to the rear for rest and continued training. While they inhabited the lines they would maintain a constant eye on nearby Mexican trenches that were sometimes only a few dozen yards distant, insults were often thrown between lines and many days the only bullets fired were the shouts of "Go home Yankee!". Communication to the rear areas was accomplished via a series of dedicated trench lines which often extended several kilometers into the rear. In many areas the trenches were anchored by wooden pillboxes or occasionally hardened concrete bunkers. For the first few months only these areas would contain the still rare Vickers Machine Guns. Many companies of men in Guards companies would have to do without support from these heavier weapons.
Almost as important was the link to the rear based artillery. At the beginning of the new year the army in Mexico would have access to only a few hundred pieces of modern artillery, three quarters of it would be the imported French 75mm Howitzers and it was all that could be assigned to the front. To request any artillery support was a difficult prospect, an officer on the front lines would initially have to use the few phone lines that had been laid to contact his superior officer, often at the brigade level. From that point on it might take several hours before word got to the men stationed at the artillery itself and they would begin to undertake a fire mission. Many times Mexican raids would ravage parts of the line before requested artillery fire would begin. It was army ineffectiveness at its best and the men would gripe constantly about it, as soldiers do. These men though were oftentimes from the south and like all Southerners at the beginning of 1915 the cause of this particular problem could be attributed to the Northern commanders of the army.
While commanders on the front were often faced with bad odds with massed artillery fire hours away they still had their own small form of artillery support available on the brigade level. This would be from the infamous trench mortars, quickly put into use they would provide much of the fire needed to repel Mexican raids.
Mexican artillery however would prove to be much more effective, relying on a system less cluttered with bureaucratic intrusiveness the enemy would have its artillery assigned to a brigade level and while the Mexicans had less artillery it was used much more effectively. Any American raid into neighboring trenches would find itself under constant artillery fire minutes into the affair. Many men that returned from these raids would be bloodied the result of one or more pieces of "Mexican Steel" as the infantrymen called it.
Trench deterioration would be another problem faced by the soldiers occupying the Roosevelt Line. While the climate in northern Mexico was not typically wet and therefore there was not as much mud as one might find in a trench system made in such a place as Flanders it was still a problem. The winter of 1914 was to prove to be a particularly wet one as well. With the addition of semi-constant Mexican artillery fire it was a recipe that invited trench deterioration. Many engineer companies would be organized to supervise the preservation of the line in addition to adding important observation posts, parapets and loopholes for the front line soldiers. With the addition of muddy conditions a system of duckboard was added to the mix and while observation of the enemy and occasional raid were an important priority the watching of trench deterioration was nearly as vital.
Activity among the men was mainly confined to the nighttime. In the day observers both on the ground and increasingly in the air prompted soldiers to use the day to rest, take account of the shape of the trench and clean their weapons. At nighttime however the reins of war would be let slip, with observance highly curtailed it was the perfect time to begin activity. Trench raids and other combat activity would be contained to this time, but this in itself would bring drawbacks. Artillery fire designed to support attacking troops would only tip off the defenders as the horizon lit up to illuminate the night and allow the Mexican troops to pick up the advancing American infantry. Machinegun fire would also create light and many men were taken down after being spotted because of the light given off by an enemy gun.
Men of the 1st Infantry Division try to pass the day by socializing and talking about the events of the previous night's raid. Many of their comrades didn't return with them.
Faced with mounting losses that made trench raids almost impossible to keep up the American commanders were forced to consider other alternatives for attack. One of these ideas was to mine under the enemy trenches and either set up vast underground explosive charges or allow for a full assault via the new route. Conceivably a well built tunnel could range far to the rear of the Mexican lines allowing for an assault on an unprepared command or communications trench the Mexicans were sure to have. Early attempts at these were to prove unsuccessful and the former coal miners that tried to create the tunnels were often killed doing their job. Cave ins and accidents demoralized the specially formed tunneling companies and attempts to continue this action were called off by early spring.
This was just another case of bad tactics during the earliest phase of trench warfare. For many in the early months of 1915 trench warfare was touch and go, the tactics for dealing with this situation were so far non-existent and deficiencies such as poor communications and shoddy trench building were to eventually haunt many soldiers that occupied the front line of this phase of the war.
Yet the war went on.
Fortifications were something that was done by the armies of nations for millennia. From the walled city of Troy, to the castles of Medieval Europe and to the great fort of Liege, these systems had been in practice. But for all this time nations had neither the men nor materials to make heavy entrenchments on anything but a short defensive line or lone strong points. With the beginnings of conscription and rapid industrialization after the Napoleonic wars both of these restrictions would eventually end. The mass of men needed to man the system of trenches that showed up at the tail end of 1914 would only be seen starting in the middle of the previous century in the Franco-Prussian and American Civil Wars.
Large numbers of troops it would be seen could easily entrench themselves into defensible positions with the aid of a simple spade. Overnight many units could dig a fairly deep and long trench suitable to repel a determined attacker if need be. The second thing which would make these lines so effective would be the improvements upon firearms which occurred in the second half of the nineteenth century. These developments would be the breech-loading rifle and machine guns. The first invention would be picked up by both sides in the American Civil War around half way through the conflict. Many men would find that a stout defense could inflict unacceptable losses with a fair number of breech-loaded rifles, yet this would pale in comparision to the development of the machinegun. This revolutionary weapon would be patented by Richard Gatling in 1861 and while it was more akin to a chain gun it would still spark much interest in the wake of its effective use in the Civil War. By the turn of the century a platoon of men armed with breech-loading rifles and a machine gun such as the Maxim would be able to defend an area against all but the most determined attack.
The development of breech-loading artillery and rifles would revolutionize warfare in the late nineteenth century, yet many operational commanders would not heed the lessons shown in the Franco-Prussian and American Civil Wars.
Artillery too would become more prevalent in warfare as a new century dawned. Again breech-loading would prove to harbor important new improvements. New and modern artillery made by Krupp would once again be a primary killing force on the field of battle and prove to be very effective in regards to backing up a stationary, entrenched line.
The stage was set for trench warfare.
The commanders of many of the worlds nations were however, unawares of the effect these new weapons would create on the field of battle. Virtually all of these men would continue to plan attacks and other operations around tactical training that would be familiar to Napoleon. The French and German master plans at the beginning of the war would not take account of these new weapons, nor too would American commanders including Generals Bliss and March. While trench warfare had not set in by 1915 in Europe the same could not be said in North America where the long Roosevelt Line had appeared at the end of November the previous year. Though not by any means a defense in depth it was a formidable defense compared to the strength of any Mexican attackers. Several early attacks by those forces had run into a solid wall of lead with light losses for the defenders. These attacks would only wind down after any scent of the injured Texan Corps had faded from the nostrils of the angry Mexican dog. Seeing the advantages a similar system would have for them the Mexicans would begin to construct their own lines as Christmas neared mostly centering near important cities such as Vera Cruz and supply points near the isolated rail lines that still existed in the country. They would equal the American lines within weeks thanks partly to several German engineers that had arrived to "advise" the Mexicans.
An aerial view of the American and Mexican trench systems near Vera Cruz. On the coast was were the construction of these lines would climax in the early months of 1915.
Life in these new trench systems would not initial be very harsh for the troops involved. Indeed compared to the fierce fighting shown in the southern parts of the country this new garrison duty was a cakewalk. American troops would live in the trenches for a week at a time before returning to the rear for rest and continued training. While they inhabited the lines they would maintain a constant eye on nearby Mexican trenches that were sometimes only a few dozen yards distant, insults were often thrown between lines and many days the only bullets fired were the shouts of "Go home Yankee!". Communication to the rear areas was accomplished via a series of dedicated trench lines which often extended several kilometers into the rear. In many areas the trenches were anchored by wooden pillboxes or occasionally hardened concrete bunkers. For the first few months only these areas would contain the still rare Vickers Machine Guns. Many companies of men in Guards companies would have to do without support from these heavier weapons.
Almost as important was the link to the rear based artillery. At the beginning of the new year the army in Mexico would have access to only a few hundred pieces of modern artillery, three quarters of it would be the imported French 75mm Howitzers and it was all that could be assigned to the front. To request any artillery support was a difficult prospect, an officer on the front lines would initially have to use the few phone lines that had been laid to contact his superior officer, often at the brigade level. From that point on it might take several hours before word got to the men stationed at the artillery itself and they would begin to undertake a fire mission. Many times Mexican raids would ravage parts of the line before requested artillery fire would begin. It was army ineffectiveness at its best and the men would gripe constantly about it, as soldiers do. These men though were oftentimes from the south and like all Southerners at the beginning of 1915 the cause of this particular problem could be attributed to the Northern commanders of the army.
While commanders on the front were often faced with bad odds with massed artillery fire hours away they still had their own small form of artillery support available on the brigade level. This would be from the infamous trench mortars, quickly put into use they would provide much of the fire needed to repel Mexican raids.
Mexican artillery however would prove to be much more effective, relying on a system less cluttered with bureaucratic intrusiveness the enemy would have its artillery assigned to a brigade level and while the Mexicans had less artillery it was used much more effectively. Any American raid into neighboring trenches would find itself under constant artillery fire minutes into the affair. Many men that returned from these raids would be bloodied the result of one or more pieces of "Mexican Steel" as the infantrymen called it.
Trench deterioration would be another problem faced by the soldiers occupying the Roosevelt Line. While the climate in northern Mexico was not typically wet and therefore there was not as much mud as one might find in a trench system made in such a place as Flanders it was still a problem. The winter of 1914 was to prove to be a particularly wet one as well. With the addition of semi-constant Mexican artillery fire it was a recipe that invited trench deterioration. Many engineer companies would be organized to supervise the preservation of the line in addition to adding important observation posts, parapets and loopholes for the front line soldiers. With the addition of muddy conditions a system of duckboard was added to the mix and while observation of the enemy and occasional raid were an important priority the watching of trench deterioration was nearly as vital.
Activity among the men was mainly confined to the nighttime. In the day observers both on the ground and increasingly in the air prompted soldiers to use the day to rest, take account of the shape of the trench and clean their weapons. At nighttime however the reins of war would be let slip, with observance highly curtailed it was the perfect time to begin activity. Trench raids and other combat activity would be contained to this time, but this in itself would bring drawbacks. Artillery fire designed to support attacking troops would only tip off the defenders as the horizon lit up to illuminate the night and allow the Mexican troops to pick up the advancing American infantry. Machinegun fire would also create light and many men were taken down after being spotted because of the light given off by an enemy gun.
Men of the 1st Infantry Division try to pass the day by socializing and talking about the events of the previous night's raid. Many of their comrades didn't return with them.
Faced with mounting losses that made trench raids almost impossible to keep up the American commanders were forced to consider other alternatives for attack. One of these ideas was to mine under the enemy trenches and either set up vast underground explosive charges or allow for a full assault via the new route. Conceivably a well built tunnel could range far to the rear of the Mexican lines allowing for an assault on an unprepared command or communications trench the Mexicans were sure to have. Early attempts at these were to prove unsuccessful and the former coal miners that tried to create the tunnels were often killed doing their job. Cave ins and accidents demoralized the specially formed tunneling companies and attempts to continue this action were called off by early spring.
This was just another case of bad tactics during the earliest phase of trench warfare. For many in the early months of 1915 trench warfare was touch and go, the tactics for dealing with this situation were so far non-existent and deficiencies such as poor communications and shoddy trench building were to eventually haunt many soldiers that occupied the front line of this phase of the war.
Yet the war went on.
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So was there a game attack that failed? To think of it, the U.S. has more knowledge of trench warfare to start with than the Europeans, considering the experiences at Petersburg in 1864-5, though even in fifty years things can be forgotten.
Why not an amphibious landing behind the trenchlines? (Or am I 28 years early on that suggestion?)
Can't wait to see how the American's get themselves out of the mess they've stumbled into! Hopefully they'll be able to do it without to much mauling of the Guards' divisions, eh?
Mettermrck: Dirigibles are the in thing in 1915 IMHO. I've always been interested in seeing how an alternate history would play out with aerial combat involving more developed dirigibles, such things as Crimson Skies and Last Exile (anime) peak my interest.
Franz Ferdinand is indeed becoming a major figure, albiet one that is on the run, where will he end up? Only I know, but its a long term plot I think. And indeed the Yanks have some experience in trench warfare, while the Euro's have less. Also we haven't seen The Great War degenerate into trench warfare yet, maybe soon.....after I write an event.
Evans: The air assets are still under the command of the Army but that may change anytime.
Atragon: The navy has been sitting in port and aside from occasional coastal bombardment thats all they can do! As for an landing in the rear of Mexico that could be done, but at this time I can't really conduct a large scale naval invasion, need the men manning the Roosevelt Line!
Draco Rexus: A mess indeed, a mess indeed.
Edit: No update tonight, probably one tommorow after class and some more studying. I did up a few events today in regards to the dirigibles though.
Franz Ferdinand is indeed becoming a major figure, albiet one that is on the run, where will he end up? Only I know, but its a long term plot I think. And indeed the Yanks have some experience in trench warfare, while the Euro's have less. Also we haven't seen The Great War degenerate into trench warfare yet, maybe soon.....after I write an event.
Evans: The air assets are still under the command of the Army but that may change anytime.
Atragon: The navy has been sitting in port and aside from occasional coastal bombardment thats all they can do! As for an landing in the rear of Mexico that could be done, but at this time I can't really conduct a large scale naval invasion, need the men manning the Roosevelt Line!
Draco Rexus: A mess indeed, a mess indeed.
Edit: No update tonight, probably one tommorow after class and some more studying. I did up a few events today in regards to the dirigibles though.
Am eagerly awaiting the next update!
I am of the mind that you need to be raising some troops from the northern U.S. and send them on an amphibous invasion. Granted I know you don't have the troops right now, but soon, soon would be good, eh?
I am of the mind that you need to be raising some troops from the northern U.S. and send them on an amphibous invasion. Granted I know you don't have the troops right now, but soon, soon would be good, eh?
Now that's a good idea...get the navy more in on things...and maybe get a head start on carriers, after all...the beachead will want recon...
lol, Rome's great isn't it I already finished my first campaign as the Julii, the i was a bit disappointed at the puny SPQR army that was defending Rome though.
I already finished my first campaign as the Julii, the i was a bit disappointed at the puny SPQR army that was defending Rome though.
AARRGGHH!! You pass up satisfiying your reader's addiction to your AAR for Total War: Rome? What kinda of heartless person are you??? :wacko:
So, is Rome worth the cash?
So, is Rome worth the cash?
I'm making up a map of the front lines which is pretty detailed so I hope it'll be worth the wait.
Here is a teaser of things to come.
And yes Rome: Total War is awesome! I lost my best General last night though, Augustus the Infantryman you will be missed!
Here is a teaser of things to come.
And yes Rome: Total War is awesome! I lost my best General last night though, Augustus the Infantryman you will be missed!
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Hehe
Try losing your Scythian King who is also your best warrior when ambushed by a bunch of Germans losing you your second army Looking forward to the big map I like the torn and ripped 2nd Homefront Guard's standard (do americans call them "Colours/Colors" like they do over here in Britain? I've always imagined it's a universal phrase but hey you might have a special name for them of your own!)
Try losing your Scythian King who is also your best warrior when ambushed by a bunch of Germans losing you your second army
Looking forward to the big map I like the torn and ripped 2nd Homefront Guard's standard (do americans call them "Colours/Colors" like they do over here in Britain? I've always imagined it's a universal phrase but hey you might have a special name for them of your own!)
Nice map...I definitely forward to your updates now. RTW is sucking out my vitality. ...I play the Total Realism mod which makes Carthage a lot stronger and makes battles a little tougher. I like to play Macedonia or the Greeks myself. The timing involved in a perfect phalanx attack requires concentration.
...I play the Total Realism mod which makes Carthage a lot stronger and makes battles a little tougher. I like to play Macedonia or the Greeks myself. The timing involved in a perfect phalanx attack requires concentration.