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Karelian

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Sep 1, 2006
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"We, by the grace of God, Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias, of Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod, Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauric Chersonesos, Tsar of Georgia, Lord of Pskov, and Grand Duke of Smolensk, Lithuania, Volhynia, Podolia, and Finland, Prince of Estonia, Livonia, Courland and Semigalia, Samogitia, Białystok, Karelia, Tver, Yugra, Perm, Vyatka, Bulgaria, and other territories; Lord and Grand Duke of Nizhni Novgorod, Chernigov; Ruler of Ryazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Beloozero, Udoria, Obdoria, Kondia, Vitebsk, Mstislavl, and all northern territories; Ruler of Iveria, Kartalinia, and the Kabardinian lands and Armenian territories - hereditary Ruler and Lord of the Circassians and Mountain Princes and others; Lord of Turkestan, Heir of Norway, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen, Oldenburg, and so forth, and so forth, and so forth."

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Grand indeed were the titles of Nicholas II, the Czar of Russia. And at a first glance it seemed that his realm, the vast Russian Empire was indeed "the third Rome", an empire like no other. But now it seemed that a new "Time of Troubles" (Смутное время) was upon the realm. Russia was an agrarian, backward and torn country, where the rich and powerful nobility still ruled the poor workers and peasants with an iron fist. After the humiliating defeats in the war against Japan and the following strikes, mutinies and riots the reluctant Nicholas II had been finally forced to make minor reforms. But the threat of a revolution still lurked within the cities and countryside of Mother Russia, and the current leaders of the Empire knew all too well that unless they could succesfully guide their country through the possible new challenges, the consequences could well be disastrous. The people were beginning to questionize the absolute power of the Czar, but for now the internal situation of Russia was still under control.

Later on historians have often marked this sense of unsecurity, the fear of the upcoming changes and the clashes between the different political sects within Russia as the major causes of the assasination of Grigori Rasputin. This controversial Siberian monk who had gained much influence in the royal court due his alleged ability to help the mortally sick Tsarevich Alexei, was shot to death in St. Petersburg during the New Year celebrations of 1914. The fact that his murderer was never caught greatly frustrated the royal family, but it also indicated that the killers had allies within the Охранное отделение(Ohrannoje otdelenije), the notorious Russian "secret police."

The rapidly deteriorating health of his son and the difficult internal situation of the country made the Czar increasingly reclusive, and the government and his personal advisors quietly took over most of the day-to-day affairs of the imperial administration. But while the Czar grieved, the Russian Empire faced a new major challenge.


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Russia chose to stand by her Serbian brothers, and the leaders of Austria-Hungary in turn decided to risk it all in their quest for revenge. The Great War had begun, and the Russian Empire was to play a crucial role in the bloody fighting of the grim years ahead.

Doomsday 1.2, Normal/Furious, together with the 1914-mod tweaked with the excellent changes made by the Black Guardian. They include longer combat, higher casualties - and yes, the game no longer crashes if the "Russian Civil War"-event fires.
 
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yay, another Karelian AAR. I love Prisoners of Silence (update soon!)

will be watching this
 
rcduggan said:
yay, another Karelian AAR. I love Prisoners of Silence (update soon!)

will be watching this
And event better, it's the 1914 mod!
 
Looks like Russia will be in for a tough ride :)
 
The Guns of August

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The Russian troops sing as they march towards the front. While their opponents had not been in war for decades, most Russian officers allready knew the grim reality of modern warfare from the Russo-Japanese War.

When the fateful final telegrams had been send, the Russian Empire began a hectic mobilization of her reservists armies. And to the suprise of Central Powers, the Russian military was able to complete her mobilization and initiate a major attack operation much quicker than the German and Austro-Hungarian planners had envisioned.

The first major confrontation between the opposing forces took place in Galitzia. During peacetime map exercises the Russian military planners had recognized the importance of this region. From there Austria-Hungary could threaten the Russian southern flank in Poland, while all Russian offensives aimed towards the Balkans had to go through this area. It was therefore decided to initially stay on the defensive against Germany and maintain only a light screening garrison in the areas west from Vistula in order to gather enough troops for a succesfull offensive against Galitzia.

This decision was reached after Vladimir Sukhomlinov, the head of the Russian General Staff and the "supreme commander", Czar´s cousin Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich managed to solve their mutual differences. Their effective cooperation enabled the Russian military to operate in much more coordinated manner than during the war in Manchuria.


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Initially all sides of the Eastern Front furiously attacked one another. The armies of Austria-Hungary and Germany stormed the Russian-held Polish territories, while a large Russian offensive struck against the Austrian right flank. Now the faster pace of the Russian mobilization became extremely beneficial, as it brought fresh reinforcements avainable to bolster the defense of Lithuania and Poland so that the initial Russian offensive could continue.

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As the attack in Galitzia managed to encircle the fortress of Lemberg and the Russian offensive continued towards Transylvania, a surge of patriotism swept through the Russian Empire. It seemed that this time the Czar was indeed leading his nation towards victory and glory.

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And when the OHL was forced to move substantial German forces to Austro-Hungarian Front, the Russian High Command saw a chance for a new offensive. This operation struck through the weak enemy lines near Köningsberg and managed to drive the Germans all the way to Danzig. Now the Russian armies had gained an easily defendable line by holding the eastern banks of the Vistula river, but early attempts to gain a bridgehead from the western side failed as Germans brought additional forces to the area. But these reinforcements had to be transferred away from the Western Front, where the Germans had allready advanced into northern France and occupied most of Belgium.


There Germany had violated the neutrality of Belgium, and a series of inconclusive meeting engagements between the French and German armies had taken place in the area between the Channel coast and the Swiss border. The German invasion of Belgium drew the mighty British Empire into the war, and this in turn led the Germans to court another old foe of Russia: The Ottoman Empire.

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After listening to the cunning proposals of the German diplomats, the Ottoman Sultan declared a holy war against the Entente and joined to the Central Powers. Now the war spread to the Middle-East and Caucasus. Luckily for the Entente the Ottoman call to Jihad was mostly ignored by the majority of the Muslims. Other nations entered to the Great War as well. Japan became once again active in the Pacific, where her armied quickly occupied the virtually undefended German colonial holdings in the area.


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Meanwhile the Russian offensive in the Carpathians was halted after Germany had sented a large number of additional troops to help their struggling allies. The Serbian troops had also held their ground in the south, and during the first Christmas on the front only a few hundred kilometers now separated them from the salient where the southernmost Russian armies had stopped their advance.

The Russian High Command now summarized the overall strategic situation of the Empire. In the German Front the situation was secure. Nine German divisions had been encircled and forced to surrender in the succesfull invasion of Eastern Prussia, and by now a system of trenches was being quickly prepared to the western shores of Vistula.
In the Austro-Hungarian Front the initial August offensive had managed to defeat the 5-division strong enemy garrison at Lemberg and gain a defendable foothold from the southern Transylvania. Preparations were made to initiate a new offensive in the area during the upcoming spring. In the Caucasus Front the Russian troops had dug in, and since the Ottoman armies opposing them had done the same, any upcoming offensives in this mountainous region had to be carefully prepared in order to ensure their success.

The morale of the civilian population was better than expected. The people felt confidend that their leadership would not let them down this time, and because of the nationalistic mood currently prevailing in the country the threat of a revolution was less dire than before the war. But the mounting casualties and the fact that Russian industry was allready experiencing resource shortages were not encouraging signs. And the war continued.


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By late 1914 the old tactics of massed infantry charges and closed formations had proven themselves to be utterly disastrous and completely outdated, and the military planners in all sides begun to develop alternative methods to wage offensive warfare.
 
Everything looks good so far. But we shall see if the Germans have any tricks up their sleeves...
 
Woah. Gets me partiotic bones all tingly.

I love the choice of black-and-white photos, even if they are harder to see, they're stylistically an excellent decision. And yes, unify Poland. And Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, and Czechslovakia. Slavic Unity :D ;)
 
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Slavianka is a Slavic Woman. The Farewell March was written in 1912 when we were going to beat up the Turks - again. In alliance with Bulgaria, presumably. Hence "Slavianka". Except that particular war never materialised and instead WWI happened and we all know how that went.

The song retained immense popularity right through the 20th century and was used widely by both whites and reds.
 
RGB said:
Slavianka is a Slavic Woman. The Farewell March was written in 1912 when we were going to beat up the Turks - again. In alliance with Bulgaria, presumably. Hence "Slavianka". Except that particular war never materialised and instead WWI happened and we all know how that went.

The song retained immense popularity right through the 20th century and was used widely by both whites and reds.
Thanks.I want to award you a information cookie but i'm too lazy for it and that sounds stupid :D
 
The black and white pics are great, but could you brighten them up a little? I'm having a hard time figuring out where the frontline goes.
 
The Bosphorus Campaign

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After the initial good progress the German attack in the West bogged down, and in late July the French and their British allies initiated counteroffensives that pushed the German troops away from the French soil. During the winter period the two sides finally dug in the shores of Meuse. The most promising French offensive had managed to capture a defendable bridgehead accross the Rhine at Freiburg, but there the offensive stalled to ferocious German counterattacks. While the number of divisions committed to the front would grow during the following year, the actual frontlines in the Western Front would remain virtually unchanged. Major Entente offensives that aimed to break the stalemate were all bloody failures, and countless soldiers died for an advance of few kilometers.

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Some people were allready questionizing the causes of this conflict, and were doubtful of the ultimate outcome of such carnage. But these dissidents were still only a small minority, and as the frontlines remained calm during the winter the Russian people adapted to the new situation and went on with their everyday life.

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While the common people worried for their sons, husbands and fathers, the political elite debated about grand strategy. Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich had recently pointed out the difficulties of maintaining the Russian war industry and supplying her armies. He had then suggested that Russia should ask help from her French and British allies, who had so far been unable to stop the Ottoman forces from advancing to central Egypt. Nikolai hoped that especially the British might send additional troops to the Middle-East so that the Ottoman Empire would be forced to divert troops against them.

Then the latest reconnaissance reports of the Russian Black Sea Fleet arrived. Admiral Makarov had skillfully used his naval intelligence network in the region since the outbreak of the war, and by now he had gained assurance that the Ottoman Navy had no major combat units in the Black Sea ports. In addition these reports indicated that the whole Anatolian Black Sea coast, and especially the port city of Izmit was virtually undefended, and that there was only a minimal garrison present in the Constantinople.

As the Russian Navy that had so far been focusing solely to minelaying, the admiralty now strongly supported the idea of a seaborne invasion. Grand Duke Nikolai reminted the rest of the Supreme Command of the benefits of the succesfull outcome of such a daring move. Together with the admiralty the determined Romanov had his way, and Operation Varyag began.


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The actual attack force consisted mostly of Siberian infantry regiments, supported with three reservist infantry divisions with additional artillery regiments attached. General Nikitin, the decorated hero of the first Battle of Warsaw led the invasion. The actual landings took place virtually unopposed, and soon the Russian troops had marched further inland and hastily prepared a defensive perimeter. The enemy was completely suprised, and the Russian Black Sea Fleet met no opposition. Old, trustworthy "Don"-class merchant ships sailed back and forth from Sevastopol and Izmit without pause, and each visit brought fresh detachments of ethusiastic Siberians to join the Russian advance towards Constantinople.


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Nikitin had finished the necessary preparations roughly a month later, and the actual assault towards the city commenced. The Russians landed with force, but the Ottoman defenders were determined defend their capitol to death, and a bloody struggle for the control of Bosporus began.

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A large part of the defenders of the city were disillusioned Arabs from the 37. `Baghdad`Piyade Tümeni, and once the situation became desperate they rather surrendered en masse than chose to die for their Turkish overlords.

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After the straits had been cleared from mines, the images and film footage of the Russian Black Sea Fleet sailing through the Bosphorus spread through the world. Admiral Makarov´s naval detachment was renamed to the Mediterranean Fleet, and based on Constantinople this new force begun to clear the Ottoman minefields from the main sealines near the Dardanelles. Soon the vision of Grand Duke Nikolai could be realized, and necessary shipments of Entente war material would begin to arrive to Sevastopol.

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After the battle of Constantinople had ended into a Russian victory, the old cathedral of Hagia Sofia once again became a place of Christian workship. Czar Nicholas II himself took part to the grand and solemn opening seremony, but while the clergy and the nobles celebrated, the battles in Anatolia continued as General Nikitin sought to drive the Ottoman forces away from the Turkish heartlands and industrial centers.
 
I see you've removed the minarets from the Haghia Sophia. Nice photoshopping skills. :)
 
I liked the minarets to be honest.

But the Second Rome should be ruled from the Third, that much is clear.