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The British have a training system?
One focused on producing senior officers who are well equipped to fight the Army's oldest and most dangerous opponent - The Treasury.

This may mean they staff course at Camberley skimps a bit on actual staff work and military training, but you can learn that stuff during the war and wars end. The battle with the Treasury is eternal.
DYAEiOu.gif
 
Apparently Ethiopia was suspected of being pro-Central Powers, and provided arms to Dervish rebels in Somaliland. I think they'd be an interesting addition in expanding the war to the British empire.

Here's the article in question, because on further research, the Dervish rebels were also anti-Ethiopian!

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-37428682

Well anyone in Africa who tries to fight the British and french are going to be bodied and annexed so really all that would change was hoe ungodly huge and unwieldy the african empires would be post war.
 









SEPTEMBER 1 - SEPTEMBER 8, 1914
THE ENEMY BREAKS THROUGH AT HIRSON

“We are about to engage in a battle on which the fate of our country depends.”
- French General Joffre, 1914 -​

“This battle is the decisive one. If I had to give my life today to gain victory, I would relinquish it with rapture, as thousands of our comrades in arms have already done.”
- German General von Moltke, 1914 -​


Hirson.jpg


Map.jpg


Petrovgrad.jpg

South of Petrovgrad, Austria-Hungary
"Marko!" Vlad screamed over the sound of artillery. "Hurry up!"

The young soldier threw himself over the rocks and landed safetly with the rest of the men.

"Holy mother of God." Marko kissed the cross hanging around his neck and looked up into the skies "Thank you, my Lord and Saviour."

"Where is the Captain?" Bete shouted.

Marko looked around confused. "Where am I?"

"You're back." Vlad pulled out his water canteen and handed it to the battered and worn out soldier. "They've breached the frontline and separated the regiment in half."

Bete grabbed the young soldier by the collar "Where is Captain Pavlovic?" He shouted.

Marko had an expression of suddent realisation.

"He was pinned down by the crossroads." He slapped himself on the forehead. "I was the only one who got out."

"Is he still alive?" Bete shouted. "Is the captain still alive?"

"I... I think so. He, he... He was alive when we made a run for it." Marko coughed up gravel dust.

Bete grabbed the water canteen and Markos extra ammunition.

"Get your stuff, we're going back."

He leaped out from behind the rocks, his footsteps quick and with intent as he headed for the captain's last whereabouts.

"I barely made it out of that hell hole!" Marko yelled to Vlad as he also leaped over, following his older brother into combat.

"For fuck sakes” he cursed.
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." he kissed his cross again. Sitting alone behind the rocks.
"He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters."


The earth trembled as dirt flew up into the air. An artillery shell had hit too close for comfort. Dust covered the landscape.

"Fine, fine!" He yelled to the skies. "You've made your point!"

Then the young soldier leaped out from behind his precious cover, to follow the two brothers, back into the fray.







=========================

France.jpg

Calais, France

The car hurried down the open landscape of France. The leaves where turning into orange and yellow now. The morning had brought with it a light carpet of dew. Cecil and Kitchener had arrived in France a few hours ago, and now they were headed to the front.

“Did you hear the news of Petrograd?” Kitchener broke the silence.



PETROGRAD:

Petrograd.jpg
“Pardon me?”

“It’s what they’ll call St. Petersburg from now on.” He replied. “The Tsar found the old name too German sounding, so they have officially changed it.”

“How odd.” Cecil declared. “To change the name of a city in the blink of an eye. Imagine if we were to do the same to London, simply to appease the public.”

“Whatever wins the war.”



JAPAN:

Japan.jpg
“Ah, we’re one step closer, sir.” Cecil replied. “Now that the Japanese empire has decided to join us.”

“Yes,” Kitchener said. “Our, ehm, closest ally… At least this should take care of Tsingtao, not to mention the German raiders in the Pacific.”



CHINA FLEET:

ChinaFleet.jpg
“Speaking of, our ships in the Pacific reorganized in Hong Kong into the new China Fleet. They arrived in Tsingtao a few days ago and are currently patrolling the area to ensure no German ships enter or leave the ports.”



THE PUBLIC AND VIKING BANK:

VikingBank.jpg
“We could use all the good news we can get.” Kitchener replied. “With the bloody cockup the navy has done so far.”

“Well, it appears the public is responding to it as well as one could hope for.”

“We’ve hushed down the blunders, so every English man can see why the Germans need a proper trashing.”

“Yes, remember Viking Bank.”

“As long as they remember it the way we want them to.”



FRENCH AND CHURCHILL’S FUTURE:

Churchill.jpg
“And what of Churchill and Fisher?” Cecil asked.

“If it was up to me, we’d ship them to Australia.” Kitchener grumbled. “But knowing those two gentlemen, they’d be running the place in a matter of months. They have survived the House of Commons, now it remains to be seen if they will survive the Prime Minister. They better sink some Germans if they wish to retain their positions.”



BATTLE IN THE ATLANTIC:

Atlantic.jpg
“Perhaps we can ask for Admiral Boué de Lapeyrère instead?”

“Glad to see you’ve found your sense of humor.” Kitchener remarked dryly.

“Well, he did save our arses out there, pardon my French. Admiral Callaghan and his Support Fleet barely avoided the massacre in the North Sea only to be attacked by German raiders. Thank Heavens for the French navy, coming to our rescue.”

German casualties - 2000
German Ships sunk

Light cruiser - SMS Amazone - SUNK
Light cruiser - SMS Undine - SUNK
Light cruiser - SMS Kolberg - SUNK
Light cruiser - SMS Mainz - SUNK
Light cruiser - SMS Cöln - SUNK
5 destroyers (1 Squadron) - SUNK


“Well if you ask Churchill, he will tell you it’s all apart of his grand plan.” Kitchener grumbled.



WALVIS RIDGE:

WalvisRidge.jpg
“Or, how about, SMS Magdeburg, Sir?” Cecil pushed on. “She’s been giving us quite the headache in Africa.”

Kitchener looked out the window.

“Attacked Admiral King-Hall off the coast of South Africa. 450 casualties. HMS Astraea was almost torn to shreds.”

“Army, Cecil.” Kitchener replied. “We’re the army.”



AFRICA:

Africa.jpg
“Very well, sir” Cecil pulled out another folder from his suitcase. “The invasion of Cotonou, and Maun are proceeding as planned. The Germans are putting up some resistance, but we expect them to break soon enough. Especially in Cotonou, where we are joined by several French divisions in surrounding them.”

“Splendid.”



SERBIAN FRONT:

SerbianFront.jpg
“Unfortunately the good news does not stretch to Serbia, where Austria-Hungary, who might have buggered up the initial invasion, are finding more success in their second attempt. With reinforcements from Germany, they pushed into Cetinje, which cancels any plans we might have had for troop deployment in Serbia, as it’s the only port there. Also Uzice has been captured, as well as retaking Petrovgrad-.”

“Nothing we didn’t already plan for.” Kitchener replied.



MESOPOTAMIA:

Trabzon.jpg
“You’re right, sir.” Cecil flipped through a few pages. “The Russians seem to be doing well in Mesopotamia.”

“Better than us.” Kitchener replied.

“The Battle of Trabzon ended on the 4th, and Russian forces are now poring in over the border. Also they’ve occupied northern parts of Persia.”

OttomanFront.jpg
“Ah, yes. and now the Ottoman army are invading southern Persia. Kuwait have been told to advance after them, but they cannot be trusted with the task. We are shipping in troops from India as fast as we are able, but the Ottoman build up in Jerusalem is more critical. We are outnumbered 3:1.”

“And we cannot rely too much on the Russians, either.” Cecil nodded.



WARSAW FALLS:

Warsaw.jpg
“No, now that Warsaw has been captured by Germans.” Kitchener replied. “And with Lublin lost, their small counter-attack seem doomed.”



EASTERN FRONT:

EasternFront2.jpg
“Yes, thankfully They are doing a better job in Austria-Hungary. Tarnopol has withstood the south offensive, and even dished out a few solid counter-attacks to send the enemy running.



RAPE OF BELGIUM:

Belgium2.jpg
I’ve heard rumors, sir… of some…. civil issues within the German-occupied areas of Belgium.”
Cecil changed his tone.​

“Continue.”

“Well, according to a few American journalists the Germans have begun fighting with the civilians. Shots were fired, and the German army is retaliating by ransacking towns and rounding up suspects. there’s even been rumours of molestation of the women there.”

Belgium.jpg
“Hmm,” Kitchener twirled his mustache. “We’ll tell the newspapers to run with it. Let the world see how utterly mad these Huns are, what-what.”



RETAKING BRUSSELS:

Brussels.jpg
“The counter-attack on Brussels, which begun a few days ago, looks promising. Costly, perhaps, but promising.”

“If we can re-take Brussels,” Ketchener mused. “We will outflank Mons, and the whole German offensive will be lost.”



THE BATTLE OF LONGWY:

Longwy.jpg
“Perhaps so, sir.” Cecil replied. “But the French have taken quite the beating. Longwy has turned into a mud hole of misery. 26 000 casualties this week alone.”

“well, unlucky for us that the enemy broke through in-between Longwy and our army.”



BREAKTHROUGH IN HIRSON:

Hirson2.jpg
“Pardon me, sir?” Cecil replied in shock.

“I received word half an hour ago that the German army broke through at Hirson.”

“Good lord!”

“The French are mounting a counter-attack as we speak.”

“And what do we do?”

“Well, we bloody well should help.”



WESTERN FRONT:

WesternFront.jpg
“Good lord, I must say, I‘m quite unsure why I’m needed for this trip, sir. We sent Captain John Robertson for this sort of thing.”

“You’ve made your complaints heard before.” Kitchener replied. “It’s only a small inspection before we launch our counter-attack. besides, Captain Robertson has been missing for a few days. It appears Haig sent him to the frontlines with his own company.”

“Madness!” Cecil gasped again.

“Haig must be having a field day with this one.” Kitchener grumbled.

The car hurrying down the open landscape of the French country road.







=========================

Lille2.jpg

Lille, France

Lieutenant Hammond studied Captain Robertson from afar. The man flipped through a few maps on the table while he puffed on his pipe, all snug in his own little world, warming his hands on his tin cup filled with tea.

“What do you reckon?” Corporal Grimsley interrupted.

“I reckon he’s not very interested in his command.” Hammond replied bluntly. “Barely spoken to any one of us.”

“Perhaps he’ll warm up after a bit.”

“He doesn’t have a lot of time then, Grimsley.” Hammond removed his helmet. “We’re moving into Hirson tomorrow.”





 
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Must say I like the new art for the maps, but I do somewhat miss the distinction between the nationality of the divisions.

It honestly starts to really remind me of the last AAR. Some good news comes in, we start to speculate, then, some more good news and we speculate further, just for the Germans to cock it all up for us. Oh well, it is what it is. The situation isn't a disaster. The German position in Hirson still seems weak, and counterattack led by our lads, with some support from the frogs, should be able to push them out. A push on the Meuse is still a possibility, it all really depends on what the Germans in Mons will do. If they move on Hirson, and we are fast enough to dislodge the initial German defences, they'll come at us piecemeal. If they move to Brussels, I think we'll have to call off the attack. But if they stay put it can indicate two things. Either they are waiting for their flanks to be secure, mainly Antwerp to fall, or they are reorganizing for their push southwest towards Paris. Maybe that would be the preferred scenario, since a success at Brussels would mean us attacking that army in the rear.
 
THE ENEMY BREAKS THROUGH AT HIRSON

FFFFUUUUU-

“How odd.” Cecil declared. “To change the name of a city in the blink of an eye. Imagine if we were to do the same to London, simply to appease the public.”

Yeah...

We could use all the good news we can get.” Kitchener replied. “With the bloody cockup the navy has done so far.”

“Well, it appears the public is responding to it as well as one could hope for.”
“We’ve hushed down the blunders, so every English man can see why the Germans need a proper trashing.”


“Yes, remember Viking Bank.”
“As long as they remember it the way we want them to.”

Depending on how the rest of the war goes, when this naval fiasco finally breaks in the 20s or 30s it could sink Churchill for good, or seriously set him back.

Thank Heavens for the French navy, coming to our rescue.”

That is also some disgustingly filthy filth right there.

“You’re right, sir.” Cecil flipped through a few pages. “The Russians seem to be doing well in Mesopotamia.”

“Better than us.” Kitchener replied.

“The Battle of Trabzon ended on the 4th, and Russian forces are now poring in over the border. Also they’ve occupied northern parts of Persia.”

Hmm...maybe turkey will end up being the weak link in the chain after all? Of course, if russia puts tpp much into their war there, they'll lose the actual fight against germany. But a victory in Anatolia would keep them high in morale and mote critically, flank the austrians on three sides. No way they'll survive that.
 
Resued by the French Navy? Churchill should be shot! :D
 
Resued by the French Navy? Churchill should be shot! :D
Not quite. I'm afraid we will have to apply the Minorca Solution - shoot an Admiral who has failed "pour encourager les autres". It worked with Byng and it clearly has been too long since the effects are wearing off. The Admiral in question must be very highly connected, to prove political connections are no protection, and they must also clearly be at fault for a horrific failure.

There is therefore only one course of action - Admiral Battenberg will have to be shot on the quarterdeck of HMS Victory.
Z3wSg01.gif



I'm curious how the mod handles the Russian Army, OTL things were going tolerably well for the Russians until Tannenberg / First Masurian Lakes when they got basically two whole armies wiped out. They never really recovered their equilibrium after that (unsurprisingly). As such decisive battles are a hard result to generate in the game engine, I fear the mod may have just artificially weakened the Russian units (or pumped up the Germans) in order to generate the 'correct' historical result even with 'incorrect' forces.
 
Not quite. I'm afraid we will have to apply the Minorca Solution - shoot an Admiral who has failed "pour encourager les autres". It worked with Byng and it clearly has been too long since the effects are wearing off. The Admiral in question must be very highly connected, to prove political connections are no protection, and they must also clearly be at fault for a horrific failure.

There is therefore only one course of action - Admiral Battenberg will have to be shot on the quarterdeck of HMS Victory.
Z3wSg01.gif



I'm curious how the mod handles the Russian Army, OTL things were going tolerably well for the Russians until Tannenberg / First Masurian Lakes when they got basically two whole armies wiped out. They never really recovered their equilibrium after that (unsurprisingly). As such decisive battles are a hard result to generate in the game engine, I fear the mod may have just artificially weakened the Russian units (or pumped up the Germans) in order to generate the 'correct' historical result even with 'incorrect' forces.

I've been asking for the Minorca Solution for a while, but I suspect the Admiralty has gone soft. Clearly in the brain, and in the trigger finger too.

Russia got disrupted by their mobilisation plans a bit more here than in OTL, but yeah...I was sure the mod woulnd't allow them the successes they got in 1914, because quite simply in game terms it would be too much damage to the german war machine for that...so instead we skip straight to 1915. They havent lost their armies, which is great, but they're on the backfoot from the off. This is sure to lead to some butterflies later on, I think.
 
Sorry guys. I'm gonna have to put this one HIATUS. Just can't find enough time to write it in my spare time, whilst fully fleshing out the story as it's supposed to be :(
Damn. Ah well its a nice story and you are an amazing writer so waiting for this to return when you have spare time is fine. Hope everything goes well for you.
 
No worries :)
 
All good.
 
Well that's a bugger. Hope things sort themselves out and you can resume this in some form in the future.
 
Damn. Ah well its a nice story and you are an amazing writer so waiting for this to return when you have spare time is fine. Hope everything goes well for you.
Oh, wow, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. It really sucks that I can't seem to get the workflow for this in order. Everything is fine here, hope you are all doing great.
Ahh, real life is a sorry thing. Always demanding your attention. Good luck with whatever you're doing, hopefully you'll be back soon enough.
Amen. Thank you, sir! And to you too. I might do some sort of AAR workshop for the visuals. Would be fun to help people out in that aspect as I consider myself a better photoshopper than writer.
Unfortunate, but understandable. Do keep us in the loop if you revive this, or if you ever start on something new :)
Well I'm still working on my novels. They're not as strong as my AARs, but If anyone's interested I just uploaded a new chapter:

God does not change the winds.
That is what his brother had said.

Darkness engulfed Cassiel as he plunged through space, hurtling towards the little blue planet.

He braced his wings and fastened his grip on the sword. Trying to find comfort in the last words of his dear brother.

God does not change the winds.

It was during the final days of the war. Michael’s armies had routed Lucifer and his pack of traitors to their last stronghold. Athaniel, the fairest of all the angels, had flown up to negotiate their conditions of surrender. Cassiel had the honor of accompanying him.

At the meeting, Athaniel asked Lucifer how he planned to be king without a dead father. And as pride rose before reason, Lucifer answered with sword. Ending diplomacy by planting it through his chest.

God was not there that day.
Or if He was, He did not seem to mind, for the winds blew gently across His Kingdom as it has done since the beginning of time.

Athaniel, dying in Cassiel’s arms, slain by his brother. His last words denouncing this futile war to change the winds. And as Michael flew to their aid, the fairest Archangel drew his last breath.

Lucifer, along with his traitors were tried and banished, cast headlong out of Heaven by God’s own accord.

Cassiel had often wondered if Michael secretly blamed him for the loss of their brother.

How fitting that now, aeons later it was his own destiny to fall from the heavens. To live without God’s grace.
He closed his eyes, the shame too heavy to bear for such a devoted servant.
To open and see what they had seen? Feel what they had felt?

Never.

Cassiel was no rebel. He had a true calling. Still divine, if only by heart. One blessed with a purpose, a most crucial task, and one that he was determined to see through.

The lone angel broke atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean in the dead of night, traveling faster than a bullet and heading for the western seaboard. His landing was less than graceful as he slammed into the desert at supersonic speed.

The shock wave could be heard for miles. The earth shook. Rocks and dirt burst up into the sky. Smoke twirled and engulfed the fallen angel as he gathered himself, rising to his feet in the small crater his impact had created.

The air was thick here. Thick and smoky. And it smelled of war.

He shook his wings and raised his head. The towering starry skies gazed back at him—Silent, and distant.
They must have heard his arrival. They would come for him, and in this state they could easily sense him.

The sword went first. He firmly planted it into the center of the crater, quietly apologizing to Raphael for disposing of such fine craftsmanship. Then his vambraces, followed by the torso armor, and lastly the tunica.

He stood there, naked and alone. A small dagger in his hand.

He looked up at the skies.

The silent starry skies gazed back at him.

“I am Cassiel of Araboth” He whispered. “High messenger of the Heavenly Host, defender of the Empyrean.” His majestic wings spreading out into the night.
He had a true calling. Still divine, if only by heart. One blessed with a purpose, a most crucial task.

Then he tightened his grip around the dagger and proceeded to hack his wings off.

The wind blowing gently across the desert.





-
 
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