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I have decided to remake my old 1914 Ottoman AAR, this time in DH! Some of you proposed other nations/subjects as my new AAR but I preferred this one for some reason, perhaps the nostalgia. Since I haven't been writing an AAR for a long time, my pace might be slowish. Patience will be much appreciated.
As my first AARs, this one will also be a rather picture heavy gameplay AAR. Some narrative aspects may be included.
Chapter I. Now how on Earth did we end up like this?
The Ottoman Empire was founded in 1299 by Osman I. The weakening Seljuq Sultanate and the Byzantine Empire´s decline allowed then a simple Turkic tribe to grow their power. The Byzantine-Ottoman wars would last till the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, which was the deathstroke to the Byzantine Empire, but then again a stimulant for the ever growing Ottoman empire. The grip of the great Osman would spread from Vienna to Mecca, from Spain to Persia. The Empire was at her height around the 1650's.
The Empire at her height
Long has gone since the days of greatness. The European countries, such as Britain and France, started their colonialistic efforts in the early 1500's. The Empire started to lag behind in both technology and science. This would be seen when the French invaded Egypt, an Ottoman vassal, in 1798. Superiour European warships, rifles and cannons made clear that the Sultan had to do something, but no-one in power had the interest in social development. In the early 19th century, Sultan Mahmud II decided to form a new army corps, consisting of European troops. The Imperial Janissaries didn't really fancy the idea so they mutinied, which ended in the disbandment of the Janissary corps in 1826. The centuries-old fighting force had come to its end.
The Greek proclaiming independence
In the end, most of the reforms failed or weren't efficient enough. Greece declared independence in 1821 with British support. The war was bloody and lasted till 1832 in Greek victory and independence. The Balkan troubles weren't finished. Later on Russia would attack in 1828, resulting into Ottoman defeat in 1829. A larger conflict between Russia and Ottomans would emerge in 1853, the Crimean war. With help of Western Powers, Ottomans managed win the war.
Russia preparing to release the Balkan Dogs of War. Punch cartoon, 1876
Another war against Russia was fought in 1877-1878. It was a disaster. Growing nationalism in Christian areas of the Empire was awknowledged by Russia. Russia declared itself the protector of the Christians in Ottoman empire. The so called Orthodox league beat the Ottomans and the Ottoman empire had to make several concessions. Bulgaria was re-established, Romania and Serbia and Montenegro became independent, and finally the province of Kars was made a part of the Russian Empire.
New boundaries in the Balkans after the Second Balkan War (2)
As a last humiliation, the Slav nations in the Balkans formed an alliance against the Ottoman empire. The following 'Balkan wars' would end the reign of the Ottomans in most of mainland Europe. But luckily for the Ottomans, Bulgaria wasn't happy enough for their gains and started another war, which they eventually would lose. Istanbul was secured but the Empire had been severely crippled. How on Earth did we end up like this?
The clouds of War approach Europe as the Sick Man is coughing. After the Young Turk Revolution and the coup of the Three Pashas (Ismail Enver, Mehmed Talaat and Ahmed Djemal) the empire has been taking shivering steps into modernization. The Three Pashas, who also are members of the Committee of Union and Progress, are eager to challenge the old enemies of the Empire, Russia for instance. Our relations with the Great Powers of Europe are somewhat icy, at least Germany seems to be our friend.
As mentioned before, we are de facto a dictatorship of three men, the Three Pashas. The Sultan-Caliph is just a mere puppet, though his majesty seems to be loved by the people. Said Halim is the legal Grand Vizier, though his influence cannot compete Ismail Enver's. Enver Pasha's pro-German mentality may be the key to success and re-gaining old prestige but the same time it could be our doom. The Empire is unstable for the time being.
Hey, what is that democrat doing there!
The Ottoman Army
The Imperial Army has seen better times. It is utterly old-fashioned. Our best-equipped army is located in Constantinople, lead by General Ismail Enver. 1. Piyade Tümeni Infantry division has some artillery-support, and 2. Piyade Tümeni has a heavy weapons brigade. Oh dear... No wonder the Balkan states beat us a year ago.
The army consists of 49 divisions in total. Most of them are Infantry of 1895. Surprisingly we have no Militia Divisions, looks like the reforms have had some impact after all. The Ottoman puppets are weak and will not play any significant role in the upcoming incidents.
Due to the mad positioning of the army, the whole Levant coast unprotected, the entire army will be redeployed into more strategic defensive positions.
The Ottoman Navy
The Imperial Navy is weak and outnumbered against the Russian Fleet in the Black Sea. And the Mediterranean? It would be a suicide for us to even think of going out there. The Royal Navy has several ports near by (Egypt, Malta, Cyprus) and the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) is a threat too. Any plan of retaking Tripolitania would be lunatic.
The Ottoman pre-dreadnought Barbaros Hayreddin
Our miniscale and frankly said pathetic navy mustn't be sacked quite yet. Two modern battleships are under construction in Britain the very moment! They ought to be ready to sail in August.
Industry
Our Industrial Capacity of 43 (base IC) is not perfect but good enough to help us achieve our goals. Because our army is even more backward than the Russians', our primary mission for now is to reform and upgrade our divisions, especially infantry divisions. With such a bad industrial base it will take forever though.
The Ottoman Empire is almost bankrupt. A trade deal to Germany that costs us 2.00 money/day isn't really helping our cause, though the coal and metal they supply to us is vital for our economy.
Our Transport Capacity isn't too high either. Due to high corruption amongst the officials and the old and deteriorated infrastructure, we are not able to transfer troops from one side of the country to another that quickly. Building new infrastructure in our provinces would be unwise though (long building time) so we shall accept the current situation.
Technology
Due to our location and geography, we saw it most important to have a properly trained army to fight in highlands, mountains and deserts. Also, to prevent us from bankrupty we decided to improve our monetary system
To empower the Ottoman industry, we have made a few deals with foreign nations. We need loads of metal and rare materials but we can only buy them for supplies and money.
Our new deals are:
Germany; 1.7 of supplies a day, for 6.7 of metal a day.
Senussi; 1.5 of supplies a day, for 6.2 of metal a day. (<-Could there be any better way to anger the Italians who're fighting the Senusian rebels?)
Switzerland; 4.8 of supplies a day, for 9.5 rare materials a day.
It's not really couraging to see that we have lost half of our money in a fortnight, though. In order to balance our budget, we concluded a deal with the British.
It seems that we have a possibility to modernize our navy a bit! We cannot be as broke as the Brazilians are.
<With these new battleships we build for you Sultan, you'll have the finest navy in the Marmara>
The Ottoman government signed the purchase of the dreadnought 'Rio de Janeiro'. This would cost the Ottomans 2.000 supplies. Now we shall just wait.
In the beginning of February another deal emerged. The Chilean battleship 'Almirante Latorre', which is under construction in Britain, would make a fine addition to our navy. We would outgun the Russians in the Black Sea and probably would be able to defend the Dardanelles in case of any suspicious naval activity.
How unfortunate. Looks like we are going to have tough time in the Black Sea after all.
Finally, on the 11th of February, our first modernized infantry gear was finished. Soon our entire army shall be more efficient than ever!
Main Defensive Plan:
Naturally, it is extremely important to protect our capital, Constantinople, but Ismail Enver is certain that nothing can get through the naval and land fortifications along the straits of Bosphorus. Thus a young Major General, Kemal Pasha (Offensive Doctrine, Defensive Doctrine, Logistical Wizard) is responsible of the defense, whilst the German Field Marshals (Baron von der Goltz and Liman von Sanders) are sent elsewhere. Four divisions in total will ensure the protection of the western coast. Since we can close the sea of Marmara, the Russians will be trapped in the Black Sea.
[Forgot to add: Defensive Line,Blocked Bosphorus]
Perhaps our most vulnerable area is the coast of the Levant sea. Therefore we must be extra cautious if we are to keep our Middle Eastern provinces. We have placed one infantry division on guard in each coastal province. If further help is needed, there are two army corps waiting for orders. One in south (infantry) and one in north (cavalry). The infantry divisions in Jerusalem might be moved to Golan because we have troops in Gaza who could easily come to defend Tel Aviv.
Offensive Manoeuvres:
The Ottoman General Staff has come up with various offensive plans in case of war with the Great Powers we have a landborder with; Britain and Russia. The Russians could prove the most dangerous to us since they are the nearest to our heartlands, but still, Britain can bring reinforcements to her colonies surrounding us rather rapidly.
The first plan illustrates a simple plan of invading Caucasus:
A cunning plan indeed
Of course, at this time Ismail Enver doesn't realize that attacking through mountains can be leathal.
Egypt once was a vassal of ours. If aggressions between Britain and Ottoman Empire were to emerge, a swift strike to capture the Suez Canal should be commenced. As our intelligence proves, there is heavy traffic at the canal. The capture of Suez would weaken the mobility of the British a lot. Then again, why stay there when the whole of Egypt could be ours?
We shall pass!
It's been a few years since the British took Kuwait from us. The following is a plan of a short offensive that should take out the British garrison at Kuwait. Also, the shores must be defended after the battle. You never know when the Lion wants to return...
Great plans, hope you succeed in at least driving the British away. The Russian front is always difficult due to the mountains... Nevertheless can't wait for the war to break out. Are you planning to build more units though?
Timmie0307 > Twice the foolness, double the failure. Especially the Russian and Mesopotamian campaigns are made to fail, on purpose that is. I might build some Reserve Infantry divisions later in the game but I cannot supply that a huge army due to my lowish IC.
Gukpa > You sure are an enthusiastic reader! There actually is an eventchain for a declaration of jihad by the Ottomans...
The more trouble I manage to get myself into the more exciting this AAR will be, at least in my opinion. :--D And my land doctrines are still rather ancient (not even researched Strong Point Warfare [1912])
I've caught a nasty summer cold but it won't slow me down, there will be update this weekend!
June, 1914.
It's a hot summer. The Dying Man is gaining its strength back slow and steady as dark clouds start gathering over Europe peacefully. The Grand Vizier, Said Halim Pasha, thought that this might indeed be the turning point of the Empire. From now on the great Osman shall regain her glory, in peaceful terms that is. But the Chief of Staff, Ismail Enver, has other thoughts. "To thoroughly gain the old glory and power, war with Russia is inevitable. Our only hope is to make good allies before any invasion can be put into action. The Kaiser has great interest in us, his several state visits and the trade agreements with Germany brought our two empire close together."
The differences of the Three Pashas may cause some sort of a leadership crisis if we are to wage war in the future. A country without a proper government is always vulnerable.
After six months of research and training, our armies have finally adopted the ways of 'Colonial Warfare' giving them extra bonuses on hillside, mountain and desert battle. Next we shall research 'Strongpoint Doctrine'.
Yes, that is the best tech team I have for it
Machineguns, shrapnels, what else?
On the 10th of June a piece of disturbing news was printed in Ottoman newspapers. The Greek have bought battleships from the United States of America. It is uncertain how many vessels did they buy, nevertheless they might be up to something.
On the 18th of June the Austro-Hungarian government announced that they would take care of Serbia in any means necessary. This must've deepen the hatred between Russia and Austria-Hungary, not to mention Austro-Serbian relations. Some people just never get along.
Tragedy.
The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne has been assasinated during their visit in Sarajevo, Bosnia. His trip was meant to show the populance of newly annexed Bosnia that they are a part of the multinational Habsburg empire. Austria-Hungary took immediate action and asked for German support for their cause.
The Germans decided to 'help' their Austrian allies:
At last Germany replied to Austria-Hungary's plea. The Austro-Hungarians will have their full support. Italy did not fancy this one, which eventually lead to the dissolution of her alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary.
After finishing our monetary reform on the 23rd of July (+1 money production -> daily change now: +1.13), Ismail Enver ordered the research of Cavalry of 1912. There are eight cavalry divisions in the Ottoman Army, this is an important research.
Europe set ablaze!
The Serbian government could not accept the Austrian demands and thus rejected the ultimatum. Austro-Hungarian government was shocked, even though this was the thing they secretly were wishing for; a reason to invade Serbia. Ignoring the fact that Russia guarantees the independence of Serbia, the Austro-Hungarian Army started their bombardment. Germany still hoped for a diplomatic solution for the crisis but as Russia was mobilizing their troops, even though the Kaiser appealed to the Tsar, there was nothing they could do to prevent this disaster. Russian artillery opened fire at the Austro-Hungarian border. Montenegro, a small kingdom next to Austria-Hungary and Serbia, joined the Serbian cause, making Austria claim their lands.
Despite the German efforts of diplomacy, Russia did not give in, resulting in a state of war between Germany and Russia. France supported their ally, Russia, and declared war on Germany. Germany started a gamble and executed the so called Schlieffen plan; German armies would rush through Belgium and Luxembourg in order to flank the French at the Franco-German border and also to capture Paris before the French could even realize what hit them. The agreement of Belgian neutrality between Britain and Germany was therefore violated and Britain joined the Entente.
Since Britain is at war with Germany, they used it as an excuse to seize the two battleships (Sultan Osman I and Resadieh) that were righteously ours! This must be avenged.
A World War?
Germany knew that the British Empire was the most vulnerable in her colonies. The German-Ottoman relations had already warmed after various deals between the two empires but the Kaiser wanted more. The Royal Navy commenced a blockade in the North Sea, preventing the German High Seas fleet from exiting their harbours. Taking the war outside Europe could help the German war effort and even allow them a quick victory over France. Germany already has the so called Schutztruppe in her colonies in Africa, but they are scarce and desperately outnumbered compared to the French and British colonial forces. Offering an alliance to Ottoman Turkey would force the Entente move some of their forces to the areas near the Ottoman empire. Especially Russia would need men to defend Caucasus and the Baku oil fields, but even more importantly, Britain could lose the Suez canal and Egypt if they would not act in time.
While being officially neutral, Mehmed V signed the secret alliance treaty with Germany under the pressure of Ismail Enver. Grand Vizier Said Halim Pasha, though, was reluctant to co-operate with the Germans, fearing a possible war could be the end of his beloved Empire.
<Gentlemen, we have found our ally!>
Greece decided to stay neutral for the time being in spite of their new American-made armada. Also Romania decided not to enter the war, not just yet.
Arrival of the Mittelmeerdivision
As a part of the Kaiser's plan to wage world war, the German cruisers SMS Goeben and SMS Breslau were commanded to set sail to Constantinople. Being pursued by the Royal Navy, admiral Souchon took a risk and headed to the Dardanelles...On the 17th of August, the Mittelmeerdivision arrived in Constantinople. The British were naturally outraged and called off their military mission (along side with admiral Limpus) but we simply announced that we had bought the ships. Admiral Souchon with his crew were given Turkish fezes to wear, as a formal commitment to the Ottoman Navy. A few hours later, the Germans laid anchor in front of the Russian embassy, took off the fezes and put on German Navy caps and started to sing Deutschland über Alles. After teasing the Russians enough, they put the fezes back on, raised the anchor and set sail to the Black Sea with the rest of the Ottoman Imperial Navy.
Next; Joining the war
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Rommelstein > I use the old map because the new map is not ready yet
Mr. Santiago > Even with Goeben and Breslau I am no match for the Royal Navy. Some Ottoman naval activity will be seen in the Black Sea, though!